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University of Edinburgh

January 01, 1970

The University of Edinburgh (Scots: University o Edinburgh, Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as Edin. in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter of King James VI in 1582 and officially opened in 1583, it is one of Scotland's four ancient universities and the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in the English-speaking world.[1] The university played an important role in Edinburgh becoming a chief intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and contributed to the city being nicknamed the "Athens of the North".[7][8]

University of Edinburgh
Latin: Universitas Academica Edinburgensis
Former names
Tounis College
King James' College
TypePublic research university
Ancient university
Established1583; 441 years ago (1583)[1]
Academic affiliation
Endowment£559.8 million (2023)[2]
Budget£1.341 billion (2022/23)[2]
ChancellorAnne, Princess Royal
RectorSimon Fanshawe
PrincipalSir Peter Mathieson
Academic staff
4,952 FTE (2022)[3]
Administrative staff
6,215 FTE (2022)[3]
Students41,250 (2021/22)[4][a]
Undergraduates26,000 (2021/22)[4]
Postgraduates15,245 (2021/22)[4]
Location
Edinburgh
,
Scotland, UK

55°57′N 3°11′W / 55.950°N 3.183°W / 55.950; -3.183
CampusUrban, suburban
ColoursRed Blue[6]
Websitewww.ed.ac.uk
Interior dome of the McEwan Hall after restoration in 2017

The three main global university rankings (QS, THE, and ARWU) all place Edinburgh within their respective top 40.[9][10][11] It is a member of several associations of research-intensive universities, including the Coimbra Group, League of European Research Universities, Russell Group, Una Europa, and Universitas 21.[12] In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2023, it had a total income of £1.341 billion, of which £339.5 million was from research grants and contracts. It has the third-largest endowment in the UK, behind only Cambridge and Oxford.[2] The university occupies five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh, which include many buildings of historical and architectural significance such as those in the Old Town.[13]

Edinburgh is the seventh-largest university in the UK by enrolment[4] and receives over 75,000 undergraduate applications per year, making it the second-most popular university in the UK by volume of applications.[14] Edinburgh had the seventh-highest average UCAS points amongst British universities for new entrants in 2021.[15] The university continues to have links to the royal family, having had Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as its chancellor from 1953 to 2010 and Anne, Princess Royal since March 2011.[16]

Alumni of the university include inventor Alexander Graham Bell, naturalist Charles Darwin, philosopher David Hume, physicist James Clerk Maxwell, and writers such as Sir J. M. Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J. K. Rowling,[17] Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.[18][19] The university counts several heads of state and government amongst its graduates, including three British prime ministers. Three Supreme Court justices of the UK were educated at Edinburgh. As of January 2023, 19 Nobel Prize laureates, four Pulitzer Prize winners, three Turing Award winners, and an Abel Prize laureate and Fields Medalist have been affiliated with Edinburgh as alumni or academic staff.[20] Edinburgh alumni have won a total of ten Olympic gold medals.[b]

History edit

Early history edit

 
Robert Rollock, Regent (1583–1586) and first principal (1586–1599) of the University of Edinburgh

In 1557, Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral on Orkney made a will containing an endowment of 8,000 merks to build a college in Edinburgh.[21] Unusually for his time, Reid's vision included the teaching of rhetoric and poetry, alongside more traditional subjects such as philosophy.[21] However, the bequest was delayed by more than 25 years due to the religious revolution that led to the Reformation Parliament of 1560.[21] The plans were revived in the late 1570s through efforts by the Edinburgh Town Council, first minister of Edinburgh James Lawson, and Lord Provost William Little.[1] When Reid's descendants were unwilling to pay out the sum, the town council petitioned King James VI and his Privy Council. The King brokered a monetary compromise and granted a royal charter on 14 April 1582, empowering the town council to create a college of higher education.[21][22][23] A college established by secular authorities was unprecedented in newly Presbyterian Scotland, as all previous Scottish universities had been founded through papal bulls.[24]

 
Main buildings of King James' College in 1647, lying in a double courtyard on the lower left
 
Frontispiece to earliest laureation (graduation) register (1587)

Named Tounis College (Town's College), the university opened its doors to students on 14 October 1583, with an attendance of 80–90.[1] At the time, the college mainly covered liberal arts and divinity.[25][26] Instruction began under the charge of a graduate from the University of St Andrews, theologian Robert Rollock, who first served as Regent, and from 1586 as principal of the college.[27] Initially Rollock was the sole instructor for first-year students, and he was expected to tutor the 1583 intake for all four years of their degree in every subject. The first cohort finished their studies in 1587, and 47 students graduated (or 'laureated') with an M.A. degree.[27] When King James VI visited Scotland in 1617, he held a disputation with the college's professors, after which he decreed that it should henceforth be called the "Colledge [sic] of King James".[28][29] The university was known as both Tounis College and King James' College until it gradually assumed the name of the University of Edinburgh during the 17th century.[25][30]

After the deposition of King James II and VII during the Glorious Revolution in 1688, the Parliament of Scotland passed legislation designed to root out Jacobite sympathisers amongst university staff.[31] In Edinburgh, this led to the dismissal of Principal Alexander Monro and several professors and regents after a government visitation in 1690. The university was subsequently led by Principal Gilbert Rule, one of the inquisitors on the visitation committee.[31]

18th and 19th century edit

"You are now in a place where the best courses upon earth are within your reach... Such an opportunity you will never again have. I would therefore strongly press on you to fix no other limit to your stay in Edinborough than your having got thro this whole course. The omission of any one part of it will be an affliction & loss to you as long as you live."

Thomas Jefferson, writing to his son-in-law Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. in 1786.[32]

The late 17th and early 18th centuries were marked by a power struggle between the university and town council, which had ultimate authority over staff appointments, curricula, and examinations.[33] After a series of challenges by the university, the conflict culminated in the council seizing the college records in 1704.[33] Relations were only gradually repaired over the next 150 years and suffered repeated setbacks.

The university expanded by founding a Faculty of Law in 1707, a Faculty of Arts in 1708, and a Faculty of Medicine in 1726.[34] In 1762, Reverend Hugh Blair was appointed by King George III as the first Regius Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Lettres.[35] This formalised literature as a subject and marks the foundation of the English Literature department, making Edinburgh the oldest centre of literary education in Britain.[36]

During the 18th century, the university was at the centre of the Scottish Enlightenment.[37] The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment fell on especially fertile ground in Edinburgh because of the university's democratic and secular origin; its organization as a single entity instead of loosely connected colleges, which encouraged academic exchange; its adoption of the more flexible Dutch model of professorship, rather than having student cohorts taught by a single regent; and the lack of land endowments as its source of income, which meant its faculty operated in a more competitive environment.[38] Between 1750 and 1800, this system produced and attracted key Enlightenment figures such as chemist Joseph Black, economist Adam Smith, historian William Robertson, philosophers David Hume and Dugald Stewart, physician William Cullen, and early sociologist Adam Ferguson, many of which taught concurrently.[38] By the time the Royal Society of Edinburgh was founded in 1783, the university was regarded as one of the world's preeminent scientific institutions,[39] and Voltaire called Edinburgh a "hotbed of genius" as a result.[40] Benjamin Franklin believed that the university possessed "a set of as truly great men, Professors of the Several Branches of Knowledge, as have ever appeared in any Age or Country".[41] Thomas Jefferson felt that as far as science was concerned, "no place in the world can pretend to a competition with Edinburgh".[42]

 
The east facade of Old College facing onto South Bridge, as built in 1827. A dome similar to Adam's original design was added in 1887 by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson.
 
A Charter of Novodamus from King James VI of Scotland in 1582, to establish a college

In 1785, Henry Dundas introduced the South Bridge Act in the House of Commons; one of the bill's goals was to use South Bridge as a location for the university, which had existed in a hotchpotch of buildings since its establishment. The site was used to construct Old College, the university's first custom-built building, by architect William Henry Playfair to plans by Robert Adam.[43] During the 18th century, the university developed a particular forte in teaching anatomy and the developing science of surgery, and it was considered one of the best medical schools in the English-speaking world.[44] Bodies to be used for dissection were brought to the university's Anatomy Theatre through a secret tunnel from a nearby house (today's College Wynd student accommodation), which was also used by murderers Burke and Hare to deliver the corpses of their victims during the 1820s.[45][46]

The Edinburgh snowball riots of 1838 also known as the 'Wars of the Quadrangle' occurred when University of Edinburgh students engaged in what started as a snowball fight in a "a spirit of harmless amusement" before becoming a two-day 'battle' at Old College with local Edinburgh residents on South Bridge which led to the Lord Provost calling from the 79th regiment to be called from Edinburgh Castle to quell the disturbance. This was later immortalised in a 92-page humorous account written by the students entitled The University Snowdrop and then later, in 1853, in a landscape by English artist, Samuel Bough.[47] [48][49]

 
Snowballing Outside Edinburgh University (1853) - Samuel Bough

After 275 years of governance by the town council, the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858 gave the university full authority over its own affairs.[33] The act established governing bodies including a university court and a general council, and redefined the roles of key officials like the chancellor, rector, and principal.[50]

 
Plaque commemorating the Edinburgh Seven at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university.[51] Led by Sophia Jex-Blake, they began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869. Although the university blocked them from graduating and qualifying as doctors, their campaign gained national attention and won them many supporters, including Charles Darwin.[52] Their efforts put the rights of women to higher education on the national political agenda, which eventually resulted in legislation allowing women to study at all Scottish universities in 1889. The university admitted women to graduate in medicine in 1893.[53][54] In 2015, the Edinburgh Seven were commemorated with a plaque at the university,[55] and in 2019 they were posthumously awarded with medical degrees.[56]

 
Buildings of the Old Medical School at Teviot Place, photographed in the late 19th century
 
Exterior of the McEwan Hall

Towards the end of the 19th century, Old College was becoming overcrowded. After a bequest from Sir David Baxter, the university started planning new buildings in earnest. Sir Robert Rowand Anderson won the public architectural competition and was commissioned to design new premises for the Medical School in 1877.[57] Initially, the design incorporated a campanile and a hall for examination and graduation, but this was seen as too ambitious. The new Medical School opened in 1884, but the building was not completed until 1888.[58] After funds were donated by politician and brewer William McEwan in 1894, a separate graduation building was constructed after all, also designed by Anderson.[59] The resulting McEwan Hall on Bristo Square was presented to the university in 1897.[60]

 
Teviot Row House, drawn by architect Sydney Mitchell in 1888

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) was founded in 1884 by student Robert Fitzroy Bell.[61][62] In 1889, the SRC voted to establish Edinburgh University Union (EUU), to be housed in Teviot Row House on Bristo Square.[63] Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) was founded in 1866, and Edinburgh University Women's Union (renamed the Chambers Street Union in 1964) in October 1905.[64] The SRC, EUU and Chambers Street Union merged to form Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) on 1 July 1973.[65][66]

20th century edit

During World War I, the Science and Medicine buildings had suffered from a lack of repairs or upgrades, which was exacerbated by an influx of students after the end of the war.[67] In 1919, the university bought the land of West Mains Farm in the south of the city for the development of a new satellite campus specialising in the sciences.[68] On 6 July 1920, King George V laid the foundation of the first new building (now called the Joseph Black Building), housing the Department of Chemistry.[67] The campus was named King's Buildings in honour of George V.

 
Facade of New College facing onto The Mound in 1910

New College on The Mound was originally opened in 1846 as a Free Church of Scotland college, later of the United Free Church of Scotland.[69] Since the 1930s it has been the home of the School of Divinity. Prior to the 1929 reunion of the Church of Scotland, candidates for the ministry in the United Free Church studied at New College, whilst candidates for the Church of Scotland studied in the university's Faculty of Divinity.[70] In 1935 the two institutions merged, with all operations moved to the New College site in Old Town.[71] This freed up Old College for Edinburgh Law School.[72]

 
Plaque honouring the Polish School of Medicine at the old Medical School

The Polish School of Medicine was established in 1941 as a wartime academic initiative. While it was originally intended for students and doctors in the Polish Armed Forces in the West, civilians were also allowed to take the courses, which were taught in Polish and awarded Polish medical degrees.[73] When the school was closed in 1949, 336 students had matriculated, of which 227 students graduated with the equivalent of an MBChB and a total of 19 doctors obtained a doctorate or MD.[74] A bronze plaque commemorating the Polish School of Medicine is located in the Quadrangle of the old Medical School in Teviot Place.[75]

On 10 May 1951, the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, founded in 1823 by William Dick,[76] was reconstituted as the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and officially became part of the university.[77] It achieved full faculty status as Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1964.

In 1955 the university opened the first department of nursing in Europe for academic study. This department was inspired by the work of Gladys Beaumont Carter and a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.[78]

By the end of the 1950s, there were around 7,000 students matriculating annually, more than doubling the numbers from the turn of the century.[79] The university addressed this partially through the redevelopment of George Square, demolishing much of the area's historic houses and erecting modern buildings such as 40 George Square, Appleton Tower and the Main Library.[80]

On 1 August 1998, the Moray House Institute of Education, founded in 1848, merged with the University of Edinburgh, becoming its Faculty of Education. Following the internal restructuring of the university in 2002, Moray House became known as the Moray House School of Education.[81] It was renamed the Moray House School of Education and Sport in August 2019.[82]

21st century edit

In the 1990s it became apparent that the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh buildings in Lauriston Place were no longer adequate for a modern teaching hospital. Donald Dewar, the Scottish Secretary at the time, authorized a joint project between private finance, local authorities, and the university to create a modern hospital and medical campus in the Little France area of Edinburgh.[83] The new campus was named the BioQuarter. The Chancellor's Building was opened on 12 August 2002 by Prince Philip, housing the new Edinburgh Medical School alongside the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.[84] In 2007, the campus saw the addition of the Euan MacDonald Centre as a research centre for motor neuron diseases, which was part-funded by Scottish entrepreneur Euan MacDonald and his father Donald.[85][86] In August 2010, author J. K. Rowling provided £10 million in funding to create the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic,[87] which was officially opened in October 2013.[88] The Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) is a stem cell research centre dedicated to the development of regenerative treatments, which was opened in 2012.[89] CRM is also home to applied scientists working with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) and Roslin Cells.[90]

 
Atrium of the Informatics Forum

In December 2002, the Edinburgh Cowgate Fire destroyed a number of university buildings, including some 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) of the School of Informatics at 80 South Bridge.[91][92] This was replaced with the Informatics Forum on Bristo Square, completed in July 2008. Also in 2002, the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre (ECRC) was opened on the Western General Hospital site.[93] In 2007, the MRC Human Genetics Unit formed a partnership with the Centre for Genomic & Experimental Medicine and the ECRC to create the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine (renamed the Institute of Genetics and Cancer in 2021) on the same site.[94]

In April 2008, the Roslin Institute – an animal sciences research centre known for cloning Dolly the sheep – became part of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.[95] In 2011, the school moved into a new £60 million building on the Easter Bush campus, which now houses research and teaching facilities, and a hospital for small and farm animals.[96][97]

 
Edinburgh College of Art

Edinburgh College of Art, founded in 1760, formally merged with the university's School of Arts, Culture and Environment on 1 August 2011.[98][99] In 2014, the Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) was founded as an international joint institute offering degrees in biomedical sciences, taught in English.[100] The campus, located in Haining, Zhejiang Province, China, was established on 15 March 2016.[101]

The university began hosting a Wikimedian in Residence in 2016.[102] The residency was made into a full-time position in 2019, with the Wikimedian involved in teaching and learning activities within the scope of the University of Edinburgh WikiProject.[103]

In 2018, the University of Edinburgh was a signatory to the £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, in partnership with the UK and Scottish governments, six local authorities and all universities and colleges in the region.[104] The university committed to delivering a range of economic benefits to the region through the Data-Driven Innovation initiative.[105] In conjunction with Heriot-Watt University, the deal created five innovation hubs: the Bayes Centre, Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI), Usher Institute, Easter Bush, and one further hub based at Heriot-Watt, the National Robotarium. The deal also included creation of the Edinburgh International Data Facility, which performs high-speed data processing in a secure environment.[106][107]

In September 2020, the university completed work on the Richard Verney Health Centre at its central area campus on Bristo Square. The facility houses a health centre and pharmacy, and the university's disability and counselling services.[108] The university's largest current expansion project is the conversion of some of the historic Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh buildings in Lauriston Place, which had been vacated in 2003 and partially developed into the Quartermile. The £120 million renovations and extension will provide space for the Edinburgh Futures Institute, an interdisciplinary hub linking arts, humanities, and social sciences with other disciplines in the research and teaching of 'complex futures'.[109][110]

Historical links edit

Edinburgh has a number of historical links to other universities, chiefly through its influential Medical School and its graduates, who established and developed institutions elsewhere in the world.

Campuses and buildings edit

class=notpageimage|
Main locations of the University of Edinburgh. Easter Bush is located 7 miles south of the city.

The university has five main sites in Edinburgh:[122]

  • Central Area
  • King's Buildings
  • BioQuarter
  • Easter Bush
  • Western General

The university is responsible for several significant historic and modern buildings across the city, including St Cecilia's Hall, Scotland's oldest purpose-built concert hall and the second oldest in use in the British Isles;[123] Teviot Row House, the oldest purpose-built students' union building in the world;[63] and the restored 17th-century Mylne's Court student residence at the head of the Royal Mile.[13]

Central Area edit

 
The Main Library viewed from The Meadows
 
Old College Quadrangle
 
New College

The Central Area is spread around numerous squares and streets in Edinburgh's Southside, with some buildings in Old Town. It is the university's oldest area, occupied primarily by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Informatics. The highest concentration of university buildings is around George Square, which includes 40 George Square (formerly David Hume Tower), Appleton Tower, Main Library, and Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, the area's largest lecture hall. Around nearby Bristo Square lie the Dugald Stewart Building, Informatics Forum, McEwan Hall, Potterrow Student Centre, Teviot Row House, and old Medical School, which still houses pre-clinical medical courses and biomedical sciences.[46] The Pleasance, one of Edinburgh University Students' Association's main buildings, is located nearby, as is Edinburgh College of Art in Lauriston. North of George Square lies the university's Old College housing Edinburgh Law School, New College on The Mound housing the School of Divinity, and St Cecilia's Hall. Some of these buildings are used to host events during the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every summer.[124]

Pollock Halls edit

Main article: Pollock Halls of Residence
 
St Leonard's Hall

Pollock Halls, adjoining Holyrood Park to the east, is the university's largest residence hall for undergraduate students in their first year. The complex houses over 2,000 students during term time and consists of ten named buildings with communal green spaces between them.[125] The two original buildings, St Leonard's Hall and Salisbury Green, were built in the 19th century, while the majority of Pollock Halls dates from the 1960s and early 2000s. Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in 2002, and a new building, Chancellor's Court, was built in their place and opened in 2003. Self-catered flats elsewhere account for the majority of university-provided accommodation. The area also includes the John McIntyre Conference Centre opened in 2009, which is the university's premier conference space.[126]

Holyrood edit

See also: Moray House School of Education

The Holyrood campus, just off the Royal Mile, used to be the site for Moray House Institute for Education until it merged with the university on 1 August 1998.[81] The university has since extended this campus.[127] The buildings include redeveloped and extended Sports Science, Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities at St Leonard's Land linked to the Sports Institute in the Pleasance.[128] The £80 million O'Shea Hall at Holyrood was named after the former principal of the university Sir Timothy O'Shea and was opened by Princess Anne in 2017, providing a living and social environment for postgraduate students.[129] The Outreach Centre, Institute for Academic Development (University Services Group), and Edinburgh Centre for Professional Legal Studies are also located at Holyrood.[130][131][132]

King's Buildings edit

Main article: King's Buildings
 
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

The King's Buildings campus is located in the south of the city. Most of the Science and Engineering College's research and teaching activities take place at the campus, which occupies a 35-hectare site. It includes the Alexander Graham Bell Building (for mobile phones and digital communications systems), James Clerk Maxwell Building (the administrative and teaching centre of the School of Physics and Astronomy and School of Mathematics), Joseph Black Building (home to the School of Chemistry), Royal Observatory, Swann Building (the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology), Waddington Building (the Centre for Systems Biology at Edinburgh), William Rankine Building (School of Engineering's Institute for Infrastructure and Environment), and others.[133] Until 2012, the KB campus was served by three libraries: Darwin Library, James Clerk Maxwell Library, and Robertson Engineering and Science Library. These were replaced by the Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library opened for the academic year 2012/13.[134][135] The campus also hosts the National e-Science Centre (NeSC), Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE), Scottish Microelectronics Centre (SMC), and Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC).

BioQuarter edit

Main article: Edinburgh BioQuarter
 
Edinburgh BioQuarter

The BioQuarter campus, based in the Little France area, is home to the majority of medical facilities of the university, alongside the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The campus houses the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Chancellor's Building, Euan MacDonald Centre, and Queen's Medical Research Institute, which opened in 2005.[84] The Chancellor's Building has two large lecture theatres and a medical library connected to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh by a series of corridors.

Easter Bush edit

The Easter Bush campus, located seven miles south of the city, houses the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and Veterinary Oncology and Imaging Centre.[96]

The Roslin Institute is an animal sciences research institute which is sponsored by BBSRC.[136] The Institute won international fame in 1996, when its researchers Sir Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and their colleagues created Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.[137][138] A year later Polly and Molly were cloned, both sheep contained a human gene.[139]

Western General edit

The Western General campus, in proximity to the Western General Hospital, contains the Biomedical Research Facility, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, and Institute of Genetics and Cancer (formerly the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine).

Organisation and administration edit

Governance edit

Further information: Ancient university governance in Scotland

In common with the other ancient universities of Scotland, and in contrast to nearly all other pre-1992 universities which are established by royal charters, the University of Edinburgh is constituted by the Universities (Scotland) Acts 1858 to 1966. These acts provide for three major bodies in the governance of the university: the University Court, the General Council, and the Senatus Academicus.[50]

University Court edit

The University Court is the university's governing body and the legal person of the university, chaired by the rector and consisting of the principal, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and of Assessors appointed by the rector, chancellor, Edinburgh Town Council, General Council, and Senatus Academicus. By the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889, it is a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal. All property belonging to the university at the passing of the Act was vested in the Court.[140] The present powers of the Court are further defined in the Universities (Scotland) Act 1966, including the administration and management of the university's revenue and property, the regulation of staff salaries, and the establishment and composition of committees of its own members or others.

General Council edit

The General Council consists of graduates, academic staff, current and former University Court members. It was established to ensure that graduates have a continuing voice in the management of the university. The Council is required to meet twice per year to consider matters affecting the wellbeing and prosperity of the university. The Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 gave the Council the power to consider draft ordinances and resolutions, to be presented with an annual report of the work and activities of the university, and to receive an audited financial statement.[141] The Council elects the chancellor of the university and three Assessors on the University Court.

Senatus Academicus edit

The Senatus Academicus is the university's supreme academic body, chaired by the principal and consisting of the professors, heads of departments, and a number of readers, lecturers and other teaching and research staff.[142] The core function of the Senatus is to regulate and supervise the teaching and discipline of the university and to promote research. The Senatus elects four Assessors on the University Court. The Senatus meets three times per year, hosting a presentation and discussion session which is open to all members of staff at each meeting.

University officials edit

Main articles: Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, List of Principals of the University of Edinburgh, and Rector of the University of Edinburgh
 
Princess Anne, current Chancellor
 
Sir Peter Mathieson, current Principal and Vice-Chancellor
 
Simon Fanshawe, current Lord Rector

The university's three most significant officials are its chancellor, rector, and principal, whose rights and responsibilities are largely derived from the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858.

The office of chancellor serves as the titular head and highest office of the university. Their duties include conferring degrees and enhancing the profile and reputation of the university on national and global levels.[143] The chancellor is elected by the university's General Council, and a person generally remains in the office for life. Previous chancellors include former prime minister Arthur Balfour and novelist Sir J. M. Barrie.[143] Princess Anne has held the position since March 2011 succeeding Prince Philip.[16] She is also Patron of the university's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

The principal is responsible for the overall operation of the university in a chief executive role.[144] The principal is formally nominated by the Curators of Patronage and appointed by the University Court. They are the President of the Senatus Academicus and a member of the University Court ex officio.[144] The principal is also automatically appointed vice-chancellor, in which role they confer degrees on behalf of the chancellor. Previous principals include physicist Sir Edward Appleton and religious philosopher Stewart Sutherland. The current principal is nephrologist Sir Peter Mathieson, who has held the position since February 2018.[145]

The office of rector is elected every three years by the staff and matriculated students. The primary role of the rector is to preside at the University Court.[146] The rector also chairs meetings of the General Council in absence of the chancellor. They work closely with students and Edinburgh University Students' Association. Previous rectors include microbiologist Sir Alexander Fleming, and former Prime Ministers Sir Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. The current rector is activist and writer Simon Fanshawe, who has held the position since March 2024.[146][147]

Colleges and schools edit

In 2002, the university was reorganised from its nine faculties into three 'Colleges'.[148] While technically not a collegiate university, it comprises the Colleges of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), Science & Engineering (CSE) and Medicine & Vet Medicine (CMVM). Within these colleges are 'Schools', which either represent one academic discipline such as Informatics or assemble adjacent academic disciplines such as the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. While bound by College-level policies, individual Schools can differ in their organisation and governance. As of 2021, the university has 21 schools in total.[149]

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences edit

 
Department of Psychology building at 7 George Square
 
Elsie Inglis Quad at the Old Medical School, currently hosting the School of History, Classics and Archaeology

The College took on its current name of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in 2016 after absorbing the Edinburgh College of Art in 2011.[150] CAHSS offers more than 280 undergraduate degree programmes, 230 taught postgraduate programmes, and 200 research postgraduate programmes.[151][152] Twenty subjects offered by the college were ranked within the top 10 nationally in the 2022 Complete University Guide.[153] It includes the oldest English Literature department in Britain,[36] which was ranked 7th globally in the 2021 QS Rankings by Subject in English Language & Literature.[154] The college hosts Scotland's ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC), the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. The college is the largest of the three colleges by enrolment, with 26,130 students and 3,089 academic staff.[155][5]

Medicine and Veterinary Medicine edit

Main article: University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
 
Members of the medical faculty at Edinburgh in the first half of the 19th century. Seated (L–R): J. Y. Simpson, J. Miller, J. H. Balfour and J. H. Bennett. Standing (L–R): R. Jameson, W. Alison and T. S. Traill.

Edinburgh Medical School was widely considered the best medical school in the English-speaking world throughout the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century and contributed significantly to the university's international reputation.[156][157] Its graduates founded medical schools all over the world, including at five of the seven Ivy League universities (Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Yale); those in McGill, Montréal, Sydney, and Vermont; the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (now part of Imperial College London), Middlesex Hospital, and the London School of Medicine for Women (both now part of UCL).

In the 21st century, the medical school has continued to excel, and it is associated with 13 Nobel Prize recipients: seven recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and six of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[158] In 2021, it was ranked third in the UK by The Times University Guide,[159] and the Complete University Guide. In 2022, it was ranked the UK's best medical school by the Guardian University Guide,[160] It also ranked 21st in the world by both the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings in 2021.[161]

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is a world leader in veterinary education, research and practice. The eight original faculties formed four Faculty Groups in August 1992. Medicine and Veterinary Medicine became one of these, and in 2002 became the smallest of the three colleges, with 7,740 students and 1,896 academic staff.[155][5] The university's teaching hospitals include the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, St John's Hospital, Livingston, Roodlands Hospital, and Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.[162][163][164]

Science and Engineering edit

Main article: University of Edinburgh College of Science and Engineering
 
Old Surgical Hospital in Drummond Street, once part of the Royal Infirmary, today houses the university's Institute of Geography.

In the 16th century, science was taught as "natural philosophy" in the university. The 17th century saw the institution of the University Chairs of Mathematics and Botany, followed the next century by Chairs of Natural History, Astronomy, Chemistry and Agriculture. It was Edinburgh's professors who took a leading part in the formation of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783. Joseph Black, Professor of Medicine and Chemistry at the time, founded the world's first Chemical Society in 1785.[165] The first named degrees of Bachelor and Doctor of Science was instituted in 1864, and a separate Faculty of Science was created in 1893 after three centuries of scientific advances at Edinburgh.[165] The Regius Chair in Engineering was established in 1868, and the Regius Chair in Geology in 1871. In 1991 the Faculty of Science was renamed the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and in 2002 it became the College of Science and Engineering. The college has 11,745 students and 2,937 academic staff.[155][5]

Sub-units, centres and institutes edit

 
Minto House, built in 1878 for extramural medical classes, and now containing the Art and Architecture Library.
 
Edinburgh Futures Institute taking shape on the former site of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

Some subunits, centres and institutes within the university are listed as follows:[166]

Staff, Community and Networking edit

In June 2023, the University employed over 11,800 full time equivalent staff:[167]

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
2,804
College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
2,868
College of Science & Engineering
2,709
Corporate Services Group
2,145
Information Services Group
685
University Secretaries Group
674
University of Edinburgh Total:
11,885

As part of the university's support for researchers,[168] each College has Research Staff Societies that include postdoc societies, and organisations specific to each school.[169] Cross-curricula Research Networks bring together researchers working on similar topics.[170]

Independently of the College hierarchy, aligned with the university's EDI policy, seven Staff Networks bring together and represent diverse staff groups:[171]

  1. Disabled Staff Network[172]
  2. Staff BAME Network[173]
  3. Edinburgh Race Equality Network[174]
  4. Staff Pride Network[175]
  5. University & College Unions incorporating the national academic union[176] and the in-house Edinburgh University Union[177]
  6. Long-term Research Staff Network[178]
  7. Support for Technicians[179] and Steering Committee[180]

Industrial action edit

Staff at the university have been engaged in the sector-wide 2018–2023 UK higher education strikes called by the University and College Union over disputes regarding USS pensions, pay, and working conditions. A Marking and Assessment Boycott[181] that commenced on 20 April 2023[182] was called off on 6 September 2023.[183] However, the UCU voted to continue strike action throughout the rest of September.[184][185]

Academic profile edit

The university is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities, and the Sutton 13 group of top-ranked universities in the UK.[186] It is the only British university to be a member of both the Coimbra Group and the League of European Research Universities, and it is a founding member of Una Europa and Universitas 21, both international associations of research-intensive universities.[187] The university maintains historically strong ties with the neighbouring Heriot-Watt University for teaching and research. Edinburgh also offers a wide range of free online MOOC courses on three global platforms Coursera, Edx and FutureLearn.[188][189]

Admissions edit

Undergraduate admission statistics[14]
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Applications 75,438 68,954 62,220 60,983 58,411
Offers 25,210 32,432 31,510 27,878 25,532
Offer Rate (%) 33.0 47.0 50.6 45.7 43.7
Enrolls 6,111 8,083 7,344 6,346 6,221
Yield (%) 24.2 24.9 23.3 22.8 24.4
Applicant/Enrolled Ratio 12.34 8.53 8.47 9.61 9.39
Average Entry Tariff[15] — 197 190 186 187
HESA Student Body Composition
Domicile[190] and Ethnicity[191] Total
British White 47% 47
 
British Ethnic Minorities[c] 9% 9
 
International EU 9% 9
 
International Non-EU 35% 35
 
Undergraduate Widening Participation Indicators[192][193]
Female 61% 61
 
Private School 36% 36
 
Low Participation Areas[d] 9% 9
 

In 2021, the University of Edinburgh had the seventh-highest average entry standards amongst universities in the UK, with new undergraduates averaging 197 UCAS points, equivalent to just above AAAA in A-level grades.[15] It gave offers of admission to 33% of its 18 year old applicants in 2022, the fourth-lowest amongst the Russell Group.[194]

In 2022, excluding courses within Edinburgh College of Art, the most competitive courses for Scottish applicants were Oral Health Science (9%), Business (11%), Philosophy & Psychology (14%), Social Work (15%), and International Business (15%).[195] For students from the rest of the UK, the most competitive courses were Nursing (5%), Medicine (6%), Veterinary Medicine (6%), Psychology (8%), and Politics, Philosophy and Economics (10%).[196] For international students, the most competitive courses were Medicine (5%), Nursing (7%), Business (11%), Politics, Philosophy and Economics (12%), and Sociology (13%).[197]

For the academic year 2019/20, 36.8% of Edinburgh's new undergraduates were privately educated, the second-highest proportion among mainstream British universities, behind only Oxford.[198] As of August 2021, it has a higher proportion of female than male students with a male to female ratio of 38:62 in the undergraduate population, and the undergraduate student body is composed of 30% Scottish students, 32% from the rest of the UK, 10% from the EU, and 28% from outside the EU.[5]

Graduation edit

See also: Academic dress of the University of Edinburgh
 
Edinburgh graduation ceremony in the McEwan Hall

At graduation ceremonies, graduates are being 'capped' with the Geneva bonnet, which involves the university's principal tapping them on the head with the cap while they receive their graduation certificate.[199] The velvet-and-silk hat has been used for over 150 years, and legend says that it was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of 16th-century scholars John Knox or George Buchanan.[200] However, when the hat was last restored in the early 2000s, a label dated 1849 was discovered bearing the name of Edinburgh tailor Henry Banks, although some doubt remains whether he manufactured or restored the hat.[199][201] In 2006, a university emblem that had been taken into space by astronaut and Edinburgh graduate Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva bonnet.[202]

Library system edit

Main article: Edinburgh University Library
 
Playfair Library Hall in Old College

Pre-dating the university by three years, Edinburgh University Library was founded in 1580 through the donation of a large collection by Clement Litill, and today is the largest academic library collection in Scotland.[203][204] The Brutalist style eight-storey Main Library building in George Square was designed by Sir Basil Spence. At the time of its completion in 1967, it was the largest building of its type in the UK, and today is a category A listed building.[205] The library system also includes many specialised libraries at the college and school level.[206]

Exchange programmes edit

 
The former principal Sir Timothy O'Shea signed an agreement with Peking University in 2012.

The university offers students the opportunity to study in Europe and beyond via the European Union's Erasmus+ programme[e] and a variety of international exchange agreements with around 300 partners institutions in nearly 40 countries worldwide.[208]

University-wide exchanges are open to almost any student whose degree permits a year abroad and who can find a suitable course combination. The list of partner institutions is shown as follows (part of):[209]

Subject-specific exchanges are open to students studying in particular schools or subject areas, including exchange programmes with Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University, Ecole du Louvre, EPFL, ETH Zurich, ESSEC Business School, ENS Paris, HEC Paris, Humboldt University of Berlin, Karolinska Institute, Kyoto University, LMU Munich, University of Michigan, Peking University, Rhode Island School of Design, Sorbonne University, TU München, Waseda University, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and others.[209]

Rankings and reputation edit

Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2024)[211]12
Guardian (2024)[212]14
Times / Sunday Times (2024)[213]13
Global rankings
ARWU (2023)[214]38
QS (2024)[215]22
THE (2024)[216]=30
 
University of Edinburgh's national league table performance over the past ten years

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), which evaluated work produced between 2014 and 2021, Edinburgh ranked 4th by research power and 15th by GPA amongst British universities.[217] The university fell four places in GPA when compared to the 2014 REF, but retained its place in research power.[218] 90 per cent of the university's research activity was judged to be 'world leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*), and five departments – Computer Science, Informatics, Sociology, Anthropology, and Development Studies – were ranked as the best in the UK.[219]

In the 2015 THE Global Employability University Ranking, Edinburgh ranked 23rd in the world and 4th in the UK for graduate employability as voted by international recruiters.[220] A 2015 government report found that Edinburgh was one of only two Scottish universities (along with St Andrews) that some London-based elite recruitment firms considered applicants from, especially in the field of financial services and investment banking.[221] When The New York Times ranked universities based on the employability of graduates as evaluated by recruiters from top companies in 20 countries in 2012, Edinburgh was placed at 42nd in the world and 7th in Britain.[222]

Edinburgh was ranked 24th in the world and 5th in the UK by the 2021 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities, a league table based on the three major world university rankings, ARWU, QS and THE.[223] In the 2022 U.S. News & World Report, Edinburgh ranked 32nd globally and 5th nationally.[224] The 2022 World Reputation Rankings placed Edinburgh at 32nd worldwide and 5th nationwide.[225] In 2023, it ranked 73rd amongst the universities around the world by the SCImago Institutions Rankings.[226]

The disparity between Edinburgh's research capacity, endowment and international status on the one hand, and its ranking in national league tables on the other, is largely due to the impact of measures of 'student satisfaction'.[227] Edinburgh was ranked last in the UK for teaching quality in the 2012 National Student Survey,[228] with the 2015 Good University Guide stating that this stemmed from "questions to do with the promptness, usefulness and extent of academic feedback", and that the university "still has a long way to go to turn around a poor position".[229] Edinburgh improved only marginally over the next years, with the 2021 Good University Guide still ranking it in the bottom 10 domestically in both teaching quality and student experience.[230] Edinburgh was ranked 122nd out of 128 universities for student satisfaction in the 2022 Complete University Guide, although it was ranked 12th overall.[231] The 2024 Guardian University Guide ranked Edinburgh 14th overall, but 50th out of 120 universities in teaching satisfaction, and lowest among all universities in satisfaction with feedback.[232]

In the 2022 Complete University Guide, 32 out of the 49 subjects offered by Edinburgh were ranked within the top 10 in the UK, with Asian Studies (4th), Chemical Engineering (4th), Education (2nd), Geology (5th), Linguistics (5th), Mechanical Engineering (5th), Medicine (5th), Music (5th), Nursing (1st), Physics & Astronomy (5th), Social Policy (5th), Theology & Religious Studies (4th), and Veterinary Medicine (2nd) within the top 5.[231] The 2021 THE World University Rankings by Subject ranked Edinburgh 10th worldwide in Arts and Humanities, 15th in Law, 16th in Psychology, 21st in Clinical, Pre-clinical & Health, 22nd in Computer Science, 28th in Education, 28th in Life Science, 43rd in Business & Economics, 44th in Social Sciences, 45th in Physical Sciences, and 86th in Engineering & Technology.[233] The 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject placed Edinburgh at 10th globally in Arts & Humanities, 23rd in Life Sciences & Medicine, 36th in Natural Sciences, 50th in Social Sciences & Management, and 59th in Engineering & Technology.[234] According to CSRankings, computer science at Edinburgh was ranked 1st in the UK and 36th globally, and Edinburgh was the best in natural language processing (NLP) in the world.[235]

Student life edit

Students' Association edit

Main article: Edinburgh University Students' Association
 
The Pleasance, one of EUSA's main buildings, is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex.

Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) consists of the students' union and the students' representative council. EUSA's buildings include Teviot Row House, The Pleasance, Potterrow Student Centre, Kings Buildings House, as well as shops, cafés and refectories across the various campuses. Teviot Row House is considered the oldest purpose-built student union building in the world.[63][236] Most of these buildings are operated as Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues during August. EUSA represents students to the university and the wider world, and is responsible for over 250 student societies at the university. The association has five sabbatical office bearers – a president and four vice presidents. EUSA is affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS).

Performing arts edit

Amateur dramatic societies benefit from Edinburgh being an important cultural hub for comedy, amateur and fringe theatre throughout the UK, most prominently through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[237]

 
EMUS Symphony Orchestra, performing Mahler's Symphony No. 1 at Greyfriars Kirk

The Edinburgh University Music Society (EUMS) is a student-run musical organisation, which is Scotland's oldest student's musical society; it can be traced back to a concert in February 1867.[238] It performs three concert series throughout the year whilst also undertaking a programme of charity events and education projects.[239]

 
The student-run Bedlam Theatre, home to the Edinburgh University Theatre Company

The Edinburgh University Theatre Company (EUTC), founded in 1890 as the Edinburgh University Drama Society, is known for running Bedlam Theatre, the oldest student-run theatre in Britain and venue for the Fringe.[240][241] EUTC also funds acclaimed improvisational comedy troupe The Improverts during term time and the Fringe.[242][243] Alumni include Sir Michael Boyd, Ian Charleson, Kevin McKidd, and Greg Wise.

The Edinburgh Studio Opera (formerly Edinburgh University Opera Club) is a student opera company in Edinburgh. It performs at least one fully staged opera each year.[244] The Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group (EUSOG) is an opera and musical theatre company founded by students in 1961 to promote and perform the comic operettas of Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, collectively known as Savoy Operas after the theatre in which they were originally staged.[245]

The Edinburgh University Footlights are a musical theatre company founded in 1989 and produce two large scale shows a year.[246][247] One of the founders is the Theatre Producer Colin Ingram.[248] Theatre Parodok, founded in 2004, is a student theatre company that aims to produce shows that are "experimental without being exclusive". They stage one large show each semester and one for the festival.[249]

Media edit

The Student is a fortnightly student newspaper. Founded in 1887 by writer Robert Louis Stevenson, it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom.[250] Former writers of the newspaper include politicians Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, and Lord Steel of Aikwood.[251][252] It has been independent of the university since 1992, but was forced to temporarily fold in 2002 due to increasing debts. The newspaper won a number of student newspaper awards in the years following its relaunch.[250]

The Journal was an independent publication, established in 2007 by three students and former writers for The Student. It was also distributed to other higher education institutions in the city, such as Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, and Telford College. It was the largest such publication in Scotland, with a print run of 10,000 copies. Despite winning a number of awards for its journalism, the magazine folded in 2015 due to financial difficulties.[253]

FreshAir, launched on 3 October 1992, is an alternative music student radio station. The station is one of the oldest surviving student radio stations in the UK, and won the "Student Radio Station of the Year" award at the annual Student Radio Awards in 2004.[254]

In September 2015, the Edinburgh University Student Television (EUTV) became the newest addition to the student media scene at the university, producing a regular magazine-style programme, documentaries and other special events.[255]

Sport edit

Main article: Edinburgh University Sports Union
 
Edinburgh University Mountaineering Club at the cairn on Ciste Dhubh, 1964

Student sport at Edinburgh consists of clubs covering the more traditional rugby, football, rowing and judo, to the more unconventional korfball, gliding and mountaineering. In 2021, the university had over 65 sports clubs run by Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU).[256]

The Scottish Varsity, known as the "world's oldest varsity match", is a rugby match played annually against the University of St Andrews dating back over 150 years.[257] Discontinued in the 1950s, the match was resurrected in 2011 and was staged in London at the home of London Scottish RFC. It is played at the beginning of the academic year, and since 2015 has been staged at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.[258]

The Scottish Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the Glasgow University Boat Club and the Edinburgh University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Started in 1877, it is believed to be the third-oldest university boat race in the world, predated by the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and the Harvard–Yale Regatta.[259]

Edinburgh athletes have repeatedly been successful at the Olympic Games: Sprinter Eric Liddell won gold and bronze at the 1924 Summer Olympics. At the 1948 Summer Olympics, alumnus Jackie Robinson won a gold medal with the American Basketball team. Trap shooter Bob Braithwaite secured a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy won six gold and one silver medal between 2000 and 2012. Rower Dame Katherine Grainger won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and four further silver medals between 2000 and 2016. Edinburgh was the most successful UK university at the 2012 Games with two gold medals from Hoy and one from Grainger.[260]

Student activism edit

There are a number of campaigning societies at the university. The largest of these include the environment and poverty campaigning group People & Planet and Amnesty International Society. International development organisations include Edinburgh Global Partnerships, which was established as a student-led charity in 1990.[261] There is also a significant left-wing presence on campus,[262] including an anti-austerity group, Edinburgh University Anarchist Society, Edinburgh University Socialist Society, Edinburgh Young Greens, Feminist Society, LGBT+ Pride,[263] Marxist Society, and Students for Justice in Palestine.[264]

Protests, demonstrations and occupations are regular occurrences at the university.[265][266][267] The activist group People & Planet took over Charles Stewart House in 2015 and again in 2016 in protest over the university's investment in companies active in arms manufacturing or fossil fuel extraction.[268][269] In May 2015, a security guard was charged in relation to the occupations.[270]

Student co-operatives edit

There are three student-run co-operatives associated with the University: Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative (ESHC), providing affordable housing for 106 students;[271] the Hearty Squirrel Food Cooperative, providing local, organic and affordable food to students and staff;[272] and the SHRUB Coop, a swap and re-use hub aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability.[273] Of these, only the Hearty Squirrel Co-operative operates on campus. ESHC is based on the Bruntsfield Links south of the University's central campus, and hosts students from all three city universities and Edinburgh College. The SHRUB co-operative was formed partly by University of Edinburgh students but is now run by interested members from across Edinburgh. The co-operatives form part of the Students for Cooperation network.[274]

Notable people edit

Main articles: List of University of Edinburgh people and List of University of Edinburgh medical people

The university is associated with some of the most significant intellectual and scientific contributions in human history, which include: the foundation of Antiseptic surgery (Joseph Lister),[275] Bayesian statistics (Thomas Bayes),[276] Economics (Adam Smith),[277] Electromagnetism (James Clerk Maxwell),[278] Evolution (Charles Darwin),[279][280] Knot theory (Peter Guthrie Tait),[281] modern Geology (James Hutton),[282] Nephrology (Richard Bright),[283] Endocrinology (Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer),[284] Hematology (William Hewson),[285] Dermatology (Robert Willan),[286] Epigenetics (C. H. Waddington),[287] Gestalt psychology (Kurt Koffka), Thermodynamics (William Rankine), Colloid chemistry (Thomas Graham),[288] and Wave theory (Thomas Young); the discovery of Brownian motion (Robert Brown),[289] Magnesium, carbon dioxide, latent heat and specific heat (Joseph Black),[290][291] chloroform anaesthesia (Sir James Young Simpson),[292] Hepatitis B vaccine (Sir Kenneth Murray),[293] Cygnus X-1 black hole (Paul Murdin),[294] Higgs mechanism (Sir Tom Kibble),[295][296] structure of DNA (Sir John Randall),[297] HPV vaccine (Ian Frazer), Iridium and Osmium (Smithson Tennant),[298] Nitrogen (Daniel Rutherford),[299] Strontium (Thomas Charles Hope),[300] and SARS coronavirus (Zhong Nanshan);[301] and the invention of the Stirling engine (Robert Stirling),[302] Cavity magnetron (Sir John Randall),[303] ATM (John Shepherd-Barron),[304] refrigerator (William Cullen),[305] diving chamber (John Scott Haldane),[306] reflecting telescope (James Gregory),[307] hypodermic syringe (Alexander Wood),[308][309] kaleidoscope (Sir David Brewster),[310] pneumatic tyre (John Boyd Dunlop),[311] telephone (Alexander Graham Bell),[312] telpherage (Fleeming Jenkin), and vacuum flask (Sir James Dewar).[313]

Other notable alumni and academic staff of the university have included signatories to the US Declaration of Independence Benjamin Rush,[314] James Wilson[315] and John Witherspoon,[316] actors Ian Charleson,[317] Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd, architects Robert Adam,[318] William Thornton, William Henry Playfair,[319] Sir Basil Spence and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, astronaut Piers Sellers,[320] biologists Sir Adrian Bird,[321] Sir Richard Owen[322] and Sir Ian Wilmut,[323] business executives Tony Hayward, Alan Jope, Lars Rasmussen and Susie Wolff, composer Max Richter, economists Kenneth E. Boulding[324] and Thomas Chalmers, historians Thomas Carlyle[325] and Neil MacGregor, journalists Laura Kuenssberg and Peter Pomerantsev, judges Lord Reed[326] and Lord Hodge,[327] mathematicians Sir W. V. D. Hodge,[328] Colin Maclaurin[329] and Sir E. T. Whittaker,[330] philosophers Benjamin Constant, Adam Ferguson,[331] Ernest Gellner and David Hume,[332] physicians Thomas Addison,[333] William Cullen,[334] Valentín Fuster, Thomas Hodgkin[335] and James Lind,[336] pilot Eric Brown,[337] surgeons James Barry,[338] Joseph Bell,[339] Robert Liston[340] and B. K. Misra,[341] sociologists Sir Patrick Geddes[342] and David Bloor,[343] writers Sir J. M. Barrie,[344] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,[345][346] John Fowles, Oliver Goldsmith, J. K. Rowling,[f][347] Sir Walter Scott[348] and Robert Louis Stevenson,[349] Chancellors of the Exchequer John Anderson[350] and Lord Henry Petty,[351] former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Sir Michael Cullen, current Vice President of Syria Najah al-Attar, former Director General of MI5 Stella Rimington, First Lords of the Admiralty Lord Melville, Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, Lord Minto and Lord Selkirk, Foreign Secretaries Robin Cook[352] and Sir Malcolm Rifkind,[353] former acting First Minister of Scotland Jim Wallace, and Olympic gold medallists Bob Braithwaite, Katherine Grainger, Sir Chris Hoy and Eric Liddell.[354]

Nobel and Nobel equivalent prizes edit

See also: List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation
 
Max Born, Tait Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh from 1936 to 1953, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954.[355]
 
Peter Higgs, faculty at Edinburgh since 1960 and Emeritus Professor after 1996, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013.[356]

As of August 2023, 19 Nobel Prize laureates have been affiliated with the university as alumni, faculty members or researchers (three additional laureates acted as administrative staff),[20] including one of the fathers of quantum mechanics Max Born,[357] theoretical physicist Peter Higgs,[358] chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart,[359] immunologist Peter C. Doherty,[360] economist Sir James Mirrlees,[361] discoverer of Characteristic X-ray (Charles Glover Barkla)[362] and the mechanism of ATP synthesis (Peter D. Mitchell),[363] and pioneer in cryo-electron microscopy (Richard Henderson)[364] and in-vitro fertilisation (Sir Robert Edwards).[365] Turing Award winners Geoffrey Hinton,[366] Robin Milner[367] Leslie Valiant,[368] and mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah,[369] Fields Medalist and Abel Prize laureate, are associated with the university.

In the following table, the number following a person's name is the year they received the Nobel prize. In particular, a number with an asterisk (*) means the person received the award while they were working at the university (including emeritus staff). A name underlined implies that this person has been listed previously (i.e., multiple affiliations).

Category Alumni Long-term academic staff Short-term academic staff
Physics (4)
  1. Igor Tamm – 1958
  1. Peter Higgs – 2013*
  2. Max Born – 1954*
  3. Charles Glover Barkla – 1917*
Chemistry (6)
  1. Richard Henderson – 2017
  2. Fraser Stoddart – 2016
  1. Peter D. Mitchell – 1978
  1. Kurt Wüthrich – 2002
  2. Alexander R. Todd – 1957
  3. Vincent du Vigneaud – 1955
Physiology or Medicine (7)
  1. Robert G. Edwards – 2010
  2. Peter C. Doherty – 1996
  1. Hermann J. Muller – 1946
  1. Michael Rosbash – 2017
  2. Edvard Moser – 2014
  3. May-Britt Moser – 2014
  4. Robert G. Edwards – 2010
  5. Paul Nurse – 2001
Economics (1)
  1. James Mirrlees – 1996
Peace (1)
  1. Joseph Rotblat – 1995

Heads of state and government edit

 
Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and consecutive 10-year-long Chancellor of the Exchequer, is an alumnus (MA '72, PhD '82) and former rector of the university.[370]
Leader State/government Office
Hastings Banda[371][372]   Malawi Prime Minister (1964–1966), President (1966–1994)
Sir Robert Black[373]   Colony of Singapore Governor (1955–1957)
  British Hong Kong Governor (1958–1964)
Sir Thomas Brisbane[374]   New South Wales Governor (1821–1825)
Gordon Brown[375]   United Kingdom Prime Minister (2007–2010)
Chang Taek-sang (張澤相)[376]   South Korea Prime Minister (1952)
John Crawfurd[377]   Colonial Singapore Resident (1823–1826)
Sir Gilbert Elliott[378]   Anglo-Corsican Kingdom Viceroy (1793–1796)
  British India Governor-General (1807–1813)
Sir Dawda Jawara[379]   Gambia Colony and Protectorate Prime Minister (1962–1965)
  The Gambia Prime Minister (1965–1970), President (1970–1994)
Yusuf Lule[380]   Uganda President (1979)
Fawzi Mulki[381]   Jordan Prime Minister (1953–1954)
Lord Dunrossil[382]   Australia Governor-General (1960–1961)
Daniel Chanis Pinzón[383]   Panama President (1949)
Julius Nyerere[384][385]   Tanganyika Chief Minister (1960–1961), Prime Minister (1961–1962), President (1962–1964)
  Tanzania President (1964–1985)
Paul Reeves[386]   New Zealand Governor-General (1985–1990)
Lord John Russell[387]   United Kingdom Prime Minister (1846–1852; 1865–1866)
Lord Palmerston[388]   United Kingdom Prime Minister (1855–1858; 1859–1865)
Sir Charles Tupper[389]   Canada Prime Minister (1896)
William Walker   Nicaragua President (1856–1857)
Yun Posun (尹潽善)[390]   South Korea President (1960–1962)

In popular culture edit

The University of Edinburgh has featured prominently in a number of works of popular culture.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ HESA numbers given here are significantly lower than those reported by the university, since HESA does not include non-graduating and visiting students, postgraduates writing up, and online learning students living abroad.[5]
  2. ^ Liddell (1), Robinson (1), Braithwaite (1), Hoy (6), Grainger (1)
  3. ^ Includes those who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Asian, Black, Mixed Heritage, Arab or any other ethnicity except White.
  4. ^ Calculated from the Polar4 measure, using Quintile1, in England and Wales. Calculated from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) measure, using SIMD20, in Scotland.
  5. ^ Following Brexit, the UK will no longer participate in the next Erasmus+ programme (2021–2027), but funding remains available for students to go abroad under the current programme until 31 May 2023.[207]
  6. ^ Rowling attended the Moray House School of Education in 1995, before it merged with the university in 1998.
  7. ^ The Mask of Fu Manchu, 1932

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Opening of Edinburgh University, 1583". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Annual Report and Accounts for the Year to 31 July 2023" (PDF). The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Staff Headcount & Full Time Equivalent Statistics (FTE) as at Oct-22". Human Resources, The University of Edinburgh. October 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Where do HE students study? | HESA". hesa.ac.uk.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Factsheet of Student Figures" (PDF). Strategic Planning, The University of Edinburgh. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Edinburgh's core colours". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  7. ^ Moss, Michael S. (June 2004). "Reviewed Work: The University of Edinburgh: An Illustrated History by Robert D. Anderson, Michael Lynch, Nicholas Phillipson". The English Historical Review. 119 (482): 810–811. doi:10.1093/ehr/119.482.810. JSTOR 3489575. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. ^ Lowrey, John (June 2001). "From Caesarea to Athens: Greek Revival Edinburgh and the Question of Scottish Identity within the Unionist State". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 60 (2): 136–157. doi:10.2307/991701. JSTOR 991701. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  9. ^ "The University of Edinburgh : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details". Top Universities. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  10. ^ "World University Rankings – University of Edinburgh". Times Higher Education. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Shanghai Ranking-Universities". Shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Affiliations". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. ^ a b "University Heritage". Edinburgh World Heritage. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Undergraduate admissions statistics". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Complete University Guide 2024 – Entry Standards". The Complete University Guide. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  16. ^ a b "New Chancellor elected". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  17. ^ "JK Rowling awarded honorary degree". The Telegraph. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Alumni in history". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Commemorative plaques". The University of Edinburgh. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Nobel Prizes". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d "Will of Bishop Robert Reid, 1557". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Charter by King James VI". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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January 01, 1970
university, edinburgh, scots, university, edinburgh, scottish, gaelic, oilthigh, dhùn, Èideann, abbreviated, edin, post, nominals, public, research, university, based, edinburgh, scotland, founded, town, council, under, authority, royal, charter, king, james, . The University of Edinburgh Scots University o Edinburgh Scottish Gaelic Oilthigh Dhun Eideann abbreviated as Edin in post nominals is a public research university based in Edinburgh Scotland Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter of King James VI in 1582 and officially opened in 1583 it is one of Scotland s four ancient universities and the sixth oldest university in continuous operation in the English speaking world 1 The university played an important role in Edinburgh becoming a chief intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and contributed to the city being nicknamed the Athens of the North 7 8 University of EdinburghLatin Universitas Academica EdinburgensisFormer namesTounis CollegeKing James CollegeTypePublic research universityAncient universityEstablished1583 441 years ago 1583 1 Academic affiliationACUCoimbra GroupEUALERURussell GroupUna EuropaUNICAUniversitas 21URAUniversities ScotlandUniversities UKEndowment 559 8 million 2023 2 Budget 1 341 billion 2022 23 2 ChancellorAnne Princess RoyalRectorSimon FanshawePrincipalSir Peter MathiesonAcademic staff4 952 FTE 2022 3 Administrative staff6 215 FTE 2022 3 Students41 250 2021 22 4 a Undergraduates26 000 2021 22 4 Postgraduates15 245 2021 22 4 LocationEdinburgh Scotland UK55 57 N 3 11 W 55 950 N 3 183 W 55 950 3 183CampusUrban suburbanColoursRed Blue 6 Websitewww wbr ed wbr ac wbr uk Interior dome of the McEwan Hall after restoration in 2017 The three main global university rankings QS THE and ARWU all place Edinburgh within their respective top 40 9 10 11 It is a member of several associations of research intensive universities including the Coimbra Group League of European Research Universities Russell Group Una Europa and Universitas 21 12 In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2023 it had a total income of 1 341 billion of which 339 5 million was from research grants and contracts It has the third largest endowment in the UK behind only Cambridge and Oxford 2 The university occupies five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh which include many buildings of historical and architectural significance such as those in the Old Town 13 Edinburgh is the seventh largest university in the UK by enrolment 4 and receives over 75 000 undergraduate applications per year making it the second most popular university in the UK by volume of applications 14 Edinburgh had the seventh highest average UCAS points amongst British universities for new entrants in 2021 15 The university continues to have links to the royal family having had Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh as its chancellor from 1953 to 2010 and Anne Princess Royal since March 2011 16 Alumni of the university include inventor Alexander Graham Bell naturalist Charles Darwin philosopher David Hume physicist James Clerk Maxwell and writers such as Sir J M Barrie Sir Arthur Conan Doyle J K Rowling 17 Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson 18 19 The university counts several heads of state and government amongst its graduates including three British prime ministers Three Supreme Court justices of the UK were educated at Edinburgh As of January 2023 update 19 Nobel Prize laureates four Pulitzer Prize winners three Turing Award winners and an Abel Prize laureate and Fields Medalist have been affiliated with Edinburgh as alumni or academic staff 20 Edinburgh alumni have won a total of ten Olympic gold medals b Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1 2 18th and 19th century 1 3 20th century 1 4 21st century 1 5 Historical links 2 Campuses and buildings 2 1 Central Area 2 1 1 Pollock Halls 2 1 2 Holyrood 2 2 King s Buildings 2 3 BioQuarter 2 4 Easter Bush 2 5 Western General 3 Organisation and administration 3 1 Governance 3 1 1 University Court 3 1 2 General Council 3 1 3 Senatus Academicus 3 1 4 University officials 3 2 Colleges and schools 3 2 1 Arts Humanities and Social Sciences 3 2 2 Medicine and Veterinary Medicine 3 2 3 Science and Engineering 3 2 4 Sub units centres and institutes 3 3 Staff Community and Networking 3 3 1 Industrial action 4 Academic profile 4 1 Admissions 4 2 Graduation 4 3 Library system 4 4 Exchange programmes 4 5 Rankings and reputation 5 Student life 5 1 Students Association 5 2 Performing arts 5 3 Media 5 4 Sport 5 5 Student activism 5 6 Student co operatives 6 Notable people 6 1 Nobel and Nobel equivalent prizes 6 2 Heads of state and government 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksHistory editEarly history edit nbsp Robert Rollock Regent 1583 1586 and first principal 1586 1599 of the University of Edinburgh In 1557 Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral on Orkney made a will containing an endowment of 8 000 merks to build a college in Edinburgh 21 Unusually for his time Reid s vision included the teaching of rhetoric and poetry alongside more traditional subjects such as philosophy 21 However the bequest was delayed by more than 25 years due to the religious revolution that led to the Reformation Parliament of 1560 21 The plans were revived in the late 1570s through efforts by the Edinburgh Town Council first minister of Edinburgh James Lawson and Lord Provost William Little 1 When Reid s descendants were unwilling to pay out the sum the town council petitioned King James VI and his Privy Council The King brokered a monetary compromise and granted a royal charter on 14 April 1582 empowering the town council to create a college of higher education 21 22 23 A college established by secular authorities was unprecedented in newly Presbyterian Scotland as all previous Scottish universities had been founded through papal bulls 24 nbsp Main buildings of King James College in 1647 lying in a double courtyard on the lower left nbsp Frontispiece to earliest laureation graduation register 1587 Named Tounis College Town s College the university opened its doors to students on 14 October 1583 with an attendance of 80 90 1 At the time the college mainly covered liberal arts and divinity 25 26 Instruction began under the charge of a graduate from the University of St Andrews theologian Robert Rollock who first served as Regent and from 1586 as principal of the college 27 Initially Rollock was the sole instructor for first year students and he was expected to tutor the 1583 intake for all four years of their degree in every subject The first cohort finished their studies in 1587 and 47 students graduated or laureated with an M A degree 27 When King James VI visited Scotland in 1617 he held a disputation with the college s professors after which he decreed that it should henceforth be called the Colledge sic of King James 28 29 The university was known as both Tounis College and King James College until it gradually assumed the name of the University of Edinburgh during the 17th century 25 30 After the deposition of King James II and VII during the Glorious Revolution in 1688 the Parliament of Scotland passed legislation designed to root out Jacobite sympathisers amongst university staff 31 In Edinburgh this led to the dismissal of Principal Alexander Monro and several professors and regents after a government visitation in 1690 The university was subsequently led by Principal Gilbert Rule one of the inquisitors on the visitation committee 31 18th and 19th century edit You are now in a place where the best courses upon earth are within your reach Such an opportunity you will never again have I would therefore strongly press on you to fix no other limit to your stay in Edinborough than your having got thro this whole course The omission of any one part of it will be an affliction amp loss to you as long as you live Thomas Jefferson writing to his son in law Thomas Mann Randolph Jr in 1786 32 The late 17th and early 18th centuries were marked by a power struggle between the university and town council which had ultimate authority over staff appointments curricula and examinations 33 After a series of challenges by the university the conflict culminated in the council seizing the college records in 1704 33 Relations were only gradually repaired over the next 150 years and suffered repeated setbacks The university expanded by founding a Faculty of Law in 1707 a Faculty of Arts in 1708 and a Faculty of Medicine in 1726 34 In 1762 Reverend Hugh Blair was appointed by King George III as the first Regius Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres 35 This formalised literature as a subject and marks the foundation of the English Literature department making Edinburgh the oldest centre of literary education in Britain 36 During the 18th century the university was at the centre of the Scottish Enlightenment 37 The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment fell on especially fertile ground in Edinburgh because of the university s democratic and secular origin its organization as a single entity instead of loosely connected colleges which encouraged academic exchange its adoption of the more flexible Dutch model of professorship rather than having student cohorts taught by a single regent and the lack of land endowments as its source of income which meant its faculty operated in a more competitive environment 38 Between 1750 and 1800 this system produced and attracted key Enlightenment figures such as chemist Joseph Black economist Adam Smith historian William Robertson philosophers David Hume and Dugald Stewart physician William Cullen and early sociologist Adam Ferguson many of which taught concurrently 38 By the time the Royal Society of Edinburgh was founded in 1783 the university was regarded as one of the world s preeminent scientific institutions 39 and Voltaire called Edinburgh a hotbed of genius as a result 40 Benjamin Franklin believed that the university possessed a set of as truly great men Professors of the Several Branches of Knowledge as have ever appeared in any Age or Country 41 Thomas Jefferson felt that as far as science was concerned no place in the world can pretend to a competition with Edinburgh 42 nbsp The east facade of Old College facing onto South Bridge as built in 1827 A dome similar to Adam s original design was added in 1887 by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson nbsp A Charter of Novodamus from King James VI of Scotland in 1582 to establish a college In 1785 Henry Dundas introduced the South Bridge Act in the House of Commons one of the bill s goals was to use South Bridge as a location for the university which had existed in a hotchpotch of buildings since its establishment The site was used to construct Old College the university s first custom built building by architect William Henry Playfair to plans by Robert Adam 43 During the 18th century the university developed a particular forte in teaching anatomy and the developing science of surgery and it was considered one of the best medical schools in the English speaking world 44 Bodies to be used for dissection were brought to the university s Anatomy Theatre through a secret tunnel from a nearby house today s College Wynd student accommodation which was also used by murderers Burke and Hare to deliver the corpses of their victims during the 1820s 45 46 The Edinburgh snowball riots of 1838 also known as the Wars of the Quadrangle occurred when University of Edinburgh students engaged in what started as a snowball fight in a a spirit of harmless amusement before becoming a two day battle at Old College with local Edinburgh residents on South Bridge which led to the Lord Provost calling from the 79th regiment to be called from Edinburgh Castle to quell the disturbance This was later immortalised in a 92 page humorous account written by the students entitled The University Snowdrop and then later in 1853 in a landscape by English artist Samuel Bough 47 48 49 nbsp Snowballing Outside Edinburgh University 1853 Samuel Bough After 275 years of governance by the town council the Universities Scotland Act 1858 gave the university full authority over its own affairs 33 The act established governing bodies including a university court and a general council and redefined the roles of key officials like the chancellor rector and principal 50 nbsp Plaque commemorating the Edinburgh Seven at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university 51 Led by Sophia Jex Blake they began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 Although the university blocked them from graduating and qualifying as doctors their campaign gained national attention and won them many supporters including Charles Darwin 52 Their efforts put the rights of women to higher education on the national political agenda which eventually resulted in legislation allowing women to study at all Scottish universities in 1889 The university admitted women to graduate in medicine in 1893 53 54 In 2015 the Edinburgh Seven were commemorated with a plaque at the university 55 and in 2019 they were posthumously awarded with medical degrees 56 nbsp Buildings of the Old Medical School at Teviot Place photographed in the late 19th century nbsp Exterior of the McEwan Hall Towards the end of the 19th century Old College was becoming overcrowded After a bequest from Sir David Baxter the university started planning new buildings in earnest Sir Robert Rowand Anderson won the public architectural competition and was commissioned to design new premises for the Medical School in 1877 57 Initially the design incorporated a campanile and a hall for examination and graduation but this was seen as too ambitious The new Medical School opened in 1884 but the building was not completed until 1888 58 After funds were donated by politician and brewer William McEwan in 1894 a separate graduation building was constructed after all also designed by Anderson 59 The resulting McEwan Hall on Bristo Square was presented to the university in 1897 60 nbsp Teviot Row House drawn by architect Sydney Mitchell in 1888 The Students Representative Council SRC was founded in 1884 by student Robert Fitzroy Bell 61 62 In 1889 the SRC voted to establish Edinburgh University Union EUU to be housed in Teviot Row House on Bristo Square 63 Edinburgh University Sports Union EUSU was founded in 1866 and Edinburgh University Women s Union renamed the Chambers Street Union in 1964 in October 1905 64 The SRC EUU and Chambers Street Union merged to form Edinburgh University Students Association EUSA on 1 July 1973 65 66 20th century edit During World War I the Science and Medicine buildings had suffered from a lack of repairs or upgrades which was exacerbated by an influx of students after the end of the war 67 In 1919 the university bought the land of West Mains Farm in the south of the city for the development of a new satellite campus specialising in the sciences 68 On 6 July 1920 King George V laid the foundation of the first new building now called the Joseph Black Building housing the Department of Chemistry 67 The campus was named King s Buildings in honour of George V nbsp Facade of New College facing onto The Mound in 1910 New College on The Mound was originally opened in 1846 as a Free Church of Scotland college later of the United Free Church of Scotland 69 Since the 1930s it has been the home of the School of Divinity Prior to the 1929 reunion of the Church of Scotland candidates for the ministry in the United Free Church studied at New College whilst candidates for the Church of Scotland studied in the university s Faculty of Divinity 70 In 1935 the two institutions merged with all operations moved to the New College site in Old Town 71 This freed up Old College for Edinburgh Law School 72 nbsp Plaque honouring the Polish School of Medicine at the old Medical School The Polish School of Medicine was established in 1941 as a wartime academic initiative While it was originally intended for students and doctors in the Polish Armed Forces in the West civilians were also allowed to take the courses which were taught in Polish and awarded Polish medical degrees 73 When the school was closed in 1949 336 students had matriculated of which 227 students graduated with the equivalent of an MBChB and a total of 19 doctors obtained a doctorate or MD 74 A bronze plaque commemorating the Polish School of Medicine is located in the Quadrangle of the old Medical School in Teviot Place 75 On 10 May 1951 the Royal Dick Veterinary College founded in 1823 by William Dick 76 was reconstituted as the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies and officially became part of the university 77 It achieved full faculty status as Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1964 In 1955 the university opened the first department of nursing in Europe for academic study This department was inspired by the work of Gladys Beaumont Carter and a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation 78 By the end of the 1950s there were around 7 000 students matriculating annually more than doubling the numbers from the turn of the century 79 The university addressed this partially through the redevelopment of George Square demolishing much of the area s historic houses and erecting modern buildings such as 40 George Square Appleton Tower and the Main Library 80 On 1 August 1998 the Moray House Institute of Education founded in 1848 merged with the University of Edinburgh becoming its Faculty of Education Following the internal restructuring of the university in 2002 Moray House became known as the Moray House School of Education 81 It was renamed the Moray House School of Education and Sport in August 2019 82 21st century edit In the 1990s it became apparent that the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh buildings in Lauriston Place were no longer adequate for a modern teaching hospital Donald Dewar the Scottish Secretary at the time authorized a joint project between private finance local authorities and the university to create a modern hospital and medical campus in the Little France area of Edinburgh 83 The new campus was named the BioQuarter The Chancellor s Building was opened on 12 August 2002 by Prince Philip housing the new Edinburgh Medical School alongside the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh 84 In 2007 the campus saw the addition of the Euan MacDonald Centre as a research centre for motor neuron diseases which was part funded by Scottish entrepreneur Euan MacDonald and his father Donald 85 86 In August 2010 author J K Rowling provided 10 million in funding to create the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic 87 which was officially opened in October 2013 88 The Centre for Regenerative Medicine CRM is a stem cell research centre dedicated to the development of regenerative treatments which was opened in 2012 89 CRM is also home to applied scientists working with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service SNBTS and Roslin Cells 90 nbsp Atrium of the Informatics Forum In December 2002 the Edinburgh Cowgate Fire destroyed a number of university buildings including some 3 000 m2 32 000 sq ft of the School of Informatics at 80 South Bridge 91 92 This was replaced with the Informatics Forum on Bristo Square completed in July 2008 Also in 2002 the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre ECRC was opened on the Western General Hospital site 93 In 2007 the MRC Human Genetics Unit formed a partnership with the Centre for Genomic amp Experimental Medicine and the ECRC to create the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine renamed the Institute of Genetics and Cancer in 2021 on the same site 94 In April 2008 the Roslin Institute an animal sciences research centre known for cloning Dolly the sheep became part of the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies 95 In 2011 the school moved into a new 60 million building on the Easter Bush campus which now houses research and teaching facilities and a hospital for small and farm animals 96 97 nbsp Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art founded in 1760 formally merged with the university s School of Arts Culture and Environment on 1 August 2011 98 99 In 2014 the Zhejiang University University of Edinburgh Institute ZJE was founded as an international joint institute offering degrees in biomedical sciences taught in English 100 The campus located in Haining Zhejiang Province China was established on 15 March 2016 101 The university began hosting a Wikimedian in Residence in 2016 102 The residency was made into a full time position in 2019 with the Wikimedian involved in teaching and learning activities within the scope of the University of Edinburgh WikiProject 103 In 2018 the University of Edinburgh was a signatory to the 1 3 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal in partnership with the UK and Scottish governments six local authorities and all universities and colleges in the region 104 The university committed to delivering a range of economic benefits to the region through the Data Driven Innovation initiative 105 In conjunction with Heriot Watt University the deal created five innovation hubs the Bayes Centre Edinburgh Futures Institute EFI Usher Institute Easter Bush and one further hub based at Heriot Watt the National Robotarium The deal also included creation of the Edinburgh International Data Facility which performs high speed data processing in a secure environment 106 107 In September 2020 the university completed work on the Richard Verney Health Centre at its central area campus on Bristo Square The facility houses a health centre and pharmacy and the university s disability and counselling services 108 The university s largest current expansion project is the conversion of some of the historic Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh buildings in Lauriston Place which had been vacated in 2003 and partially developed into the Quartermile The 120 million renovations and extension will provide space for the Edinburgh Futures Institute an interdisciplinary hub linking arts humanities and social sciences with other disciplines in the research and teaching of complex futures 109 110 Historical links edit Edinburgh has a number of historical links to other universities chiefly through its influential Medical School and its graduates who established and developed institutions elsewhere in the world College of William amp Mary the second oldest college in the US was founded in 1693 by Edinburgh graduate James Blair who served as the college s founding president for fifty years 111 Columbia University had its Medical School founded by Samuel Bard an Edinburgh medical graduate Dalhousie University Edinburgh alumnus George Ramsay the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia wanted to establish a non denominational college in Halifax open to all 112 The school was modelled after the University of Edinburgh which students could attend regardless of religion or nationality 113 Dartmouth College had its School of Medicine founded by Nathan Smith an alumnus of Edinburgh Medical School 114 Harvard University had its Medical School founded by three surgeons one of whom was Benjamin Waterhouse an alumnus of Edinburgh Medical School 115 McGill University had its Faculty of Medicine founded by four physicians which included Edinburgh alumni Andrew Fernando Holmes and John Stephenson 116 117 University of Pennsylvania had its School of Medicine founded by Edinburgh graduate John Morgan who modelled it after Edinburgh Medical School 118 119 Princeton University had its academic syllabus and structure reformed along the lines of the University of Edinburgh and other Scottish universities by its sixth president John Witherspoon an Edinburgh theology graduate 120 121 University of Sydney founded in 1850 by Sir Charles Nicholson a graduate of Edinburgh Medical School Yale University had its School of Medicine co founded by Nathan Smith an alumnus of Edinburgh Medical School Campuses and buildings edit nbsp nbsp Central Area nbsp King s Buildings nbsp BioQuarter nbsp Western General nbsp Holyrood nbsp Pollock Halls nbsp Easter Bushclass notpageimage Main locations of the University of Edinburgh Easter Bush is located 7 miles south of the city The university has five main sites in Edinburgh 122 Central Area King s Buildings BioQuarter Easter Bush Western General The university is responsible for several significant historic and modern buildings across the city including St Cecilia s Hall Scotland s oldest purpose built concert hall and the second oldest in use in the British Isles 123 Teviot Row House the oldest purpose built students union building in the world 63 and the restored 17th century Mylne s Court student residence at the head of the Royal Mile 13 Central Area edit nbsp The Main Library viewed from The Meadows nbsp Old College Quadrangle nbsp New College The Central Area is spread around numerous squares and streets in Edinburgh s Southside with some buildings in Old Town It is the university s oldest area occupied primarily by the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Informatics The highest concentration of university buildings is around George Square which includes 40 George Square formerly David Hume Tower Appleton Tower Main Library and Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre the area s largest lecture hall Around nearby Bristo Square lie the Dugald Stewart Building Informatics Forum McEwan Hall Potterrow Student Centre Teviot Row House and old Medical School which still houses pre clinical medical courses and biomedical sciences 46 The Pleasance one of Edinburgh University Students Association s main buildings is located nearby as is Edinburgh College of Art in Lauriston North of George Square lies the university s Old College housing Edinburgh Law School New College on The Mound housing the School of Divinity and St Cecilia s Hall Some of these buildings are used to host events during the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every summer 124 Pollock Halls edit Main article Pollock Halls of Residence nbsp St Leonard s Hall Pollock Halls adjoining Holyrood Park to the east is the university s largest residence hall for undergraduate students in their first year The complex houses over 2 000 students during term time and consists of ten named buildings with communal green spaces between them 125 The two original buildings St Leonard s Hall and Salisbury Green were built in the 19th century while the majority of Pollock Halls dates from the 1960s and early 2000s Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in 2002 and a new building Chancellor s Court was built in their place and opened in 2003 Self catered flats elsewhere account for the majority of university provided accommodation The area also includes the John McIntyre Conference Centre opened in 2009 which is the university s premier conference space 126 Holyrood edit See also Moray House School of Education The Holyrood campus just off the Royal Mile used to be the site for Moray House Institute for Education until it merged with the university on 1 August 1998 81 The university has since extended this campus 127 The buildings include redeveloped and extended Sports Science Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities at St Leonard s Land linked to the Sports Institute in the Pleasance 128 The 80 million O Shea Hall at Holyrood was named after the former principal of the university Sir Timothy O Shea and was opened by Princess Anne in 2017 providing a living and social environment for postgraduate students 129 The Outreach Centre Institute for Academic Development University Services Group and Edinburgh Centre for Professional Legal Studies are also located at Holyrood 130 131 132 King s Buildings edit Main article King s Buildings nbsp Royal Observatory Edinburgh The King s Buildings campus is located in the south of the city Most of the Science and Engineering College s research and teaching activities take place at the campus which occupies a 35 hectare site It includes the Alexander Graham Bell Building for mobile phones and digital communications systems James Clerk Maxwell Building the administrative and teaching centre of the School of Physics and Astronomy and School of Mathematics Joseph Black Building home to the School of Chemistry Royal Observatory Swann Building the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology Waddington Building the Centre for Systems Biology at Edinburgh William Rankine Building School of Engineering s Institute for Infrastructure and Environment and others 133 Until 2012 the KB campus was served by three libraries Darwin Library James Clerk Maxwell Library and Robertson Engineering and Science Library These were replaced by the Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library opened for the academic year 2012 13 134 135 The campus also hosts the National e Science Centre NeSC Scotland s Rural College SRUC Scottish Institute for Enterprise SIE Scottish Microelectronics Centre SMC and Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre SUERC BioQuarter edit Main article Edinburgh BioQuarter nbsp Edinburgh BioQuarter The BioQuarter campus based in the Little France area is home to the majority of medical facilities of the university alongside the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The campus houses the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic Centre for Regenerative Medicine Chancellor s Building Euan MacDonald Centre and Queen s Medical Research Institute which opened in 2005 84 The Chancellor s Building has two large lecture theatres and a medical library connected to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh by a series of corridors Easter Bush edit The Easter Bush campus located seven miles south of the city houses the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education Roslin Institute Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies and Veterinary Oncology and Imaging Centre 96 The Roslin Institute is an animal sciences research institute which is sponsored by BBSRC 136 The Institute won international fame in 1996 when its researchers Sir Ian Wilmut Keith Campbell and their colleagues created Dolly the sheep the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell 137 138 A year later Polly and Molly were cloned both sheep contained a human gene 139 Western General edit The Western General campus in proximity to the Western General Hospital contains the Biomedical Research Facility Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility and Institute of Genetics and Cancer formerly the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine Modern architecture at the University of Edinburgh nbsp Appleton Tower nbsp Business School nbsp Centre for Regenerative Medicine nbsp Erskine Williamson Building King s Buildings nbsp Informatics Forum School of Informatics nbsp Roslin Institute nbsp Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh School of Medicine nbsp Royal Dick School of Veterinary StudiesOrganisation and administration editGovernance edit Further information Ancient university governance in Scotland In common with the other ancient universities of Scotland and in contrast to nearly all other pre 1992 universities which are established by royal charters the University of Edinburgh is constituted by the Universities Scotland Acts 1858 to 1966 These acts provide for three major bodies in the governance of the university the University Court the General Council and the Senatus Academicus 50 University Court edit The University Court is the university s governing body and the legal person of the university chaired by the rector and consisting of the principal Lord Provost of Edinburgh and of Assessors appointed by the rector chancellor Edinburgh Town Council General Council and Senatus Academicus By the Universities Scotland Act 1889 it is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal All property belonging to the university at the passing of the Act was vested in the Court 140 The present powers of the Court are further defined in the Universities Scotland Act 1966 including the administration and management of the university s revenue and property the regulation of staff salaries and the establishment and composition of committees of its own members or others General Council edit The General Council consists of graduates academic staff current and former University Court members It was established to ensure that graduates have a continuing voice in the management of the university The Council is required to meet twice per year to consider matters affecting the wellbeing and prosperity of the university The Universities Scotland Act 1966 gave the Council the power to consider draft ordinances and resolutions to be presented with an annual report of the work and activities of the university and to receive an audited financial statement 141 The Council elects the chancellor of the university and three Assessors on the University Court Senatus Academicus edit The Senatus Academicus is the university s supreme academic body chaired by the principal and consisting of the professors heads of departments and a number of readers lecturers and other teaching and research staff 142 The core function of the Senatus is to regulate and supervise the teaching and discipline of the university and to promote research The Senatus elects four Assessors on the University Court The Senatus meets three times per year hosting a presentation and discussion session which is open to all members of staff at each meeting University officials edit Main articles Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh List of Principals of the University of Edinburgh and Rector of the University of Edinburgh nbsp Princess Anne current Chancellor nbsp Sir Peter Mathieson current Principal and Vice Chancellor nbsp Simon Fanshawe current Lord Rector The university s three most significant officials are its chancellor rector and principal whose rights and responsibilities are largely derived from the Universities Scotland Act 1858 The office of chancellor serves as the titular head and highest office of the university Their duties include conferring degrees and enhancing the profile and reputation of the university on national and global levels 143 The chancellor is elected by the university s General Council and a person generally remains in the office for life Previous chancellors include former prime minister Arthur Balfour and novelist Sir J M Barrie 143 Princess Anne has held the position since March 2011 succeeding Prince Philip 16 She is also Patron of the university s Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies The principal is responsible for the overall operation of the university in a chief executive role 144 The principal is formally nominated by the Curators of Patronage and appointed by the University Court They are the President of the Senatus Academicus and a member of the University Court ex officio 144 The principal is also automatically appointed vice chancellor in which role they confer degrees on behalf of the chancellor Previous principals include physicist Sir Edward Appleton and religious philosopher Stewart Sutherland The current principal is nephrologist Sir Peter Mathieson who has held the position since February 2018 145 The office of rector is elected every three years by the staff and matriculated students The primary role of the rector is to preside at the University Court 146 The rector also chairs meetings of the General Council in absence of the chancellor They work closely with students and Edinburgh University Students Association Previous rectors include microbiologist Sir Alexander Fleming and former Prime Ministers Sir Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George The current rector is activist and writer Simon Fanshawe who has held the position since March 2024 146 147 Colleges and schools edit In 2002 the university was reorganised from its nine faculties into three Colleges 148 While technically not a collegiate university it comprises the Colleges of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences CAHSS Science amp Engineering CSE and Medicine amp Vet Medicine CMVM Within these colleges are Schools which either represent one academic discipline such as Informatics or assemble adjacent academic disciplines such as the School of History Classics and Archaeology While bound by College level policies individual Schools can differ in their organisation and governance As of 2021 the university has 21 schools in total 149 Arts Humanities and Social Sciences edit nbsp Department of Psychology building at 7 George Square nbsp Elsie Inglis Quad at the Old Medical School currently hosting the School of History Classics and Archaeology The College took on its current name of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences in 2016 after absorbing the Edinburgh College of Art in 2011 150 CAHSS offers more than 280 undergraduate degree programmes 230 taught postgraduate programmes and 200 research postgraduate programmes 151 152 Twenty subjects offered by the college were ranked within the top 10 nationally in the 2022 Complete University Guide 153 It includes the oldest English Literature department in Britain 36 which was ranked 7th globally in the 2021 QS Rankings by Subject in English Language amp Literature 154 The college hosts Scotland s ESRC Doctoral Training Centre DTC the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science The college is the largest of the three colleges by enrolment with 26 130 students and 3 089 academic staff 155 5 Business School Edinburgh College of Art Moray House School of Education and Sport School of Divinity School of Economics School of Health in Social Science School of History Classics and Archaeology School of Law School of Literatures Languages and Cultures School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences School of Social and Political Science Centre for Open Learning Edinburgh Futures Institute Medicine and Veterinary Medicine edit Main article University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine nbsp Members of the medical faculty at Edinburgh in the first half of the 19th century Seated L R J Y Simpson J Miller J H Balfour and J H Bennett Standing L R R Jameson W Alison and T S Traill Edinburgh Medical School was widely considered the best medical school in the English speaking world throughout the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century and contributed significantly to the university s international reputation 156 157 Its graduates founded medical schools all over the world including at five of the seven Ivy League universities Columbia Dartmouth Harvard Pennsylvania and Yale those in McGill Montreal Sydney and Vermont the Royal Postgraduate Medical School now part of Imperial College London Middlesex Hospital and the London School of Medicine for Women both now part of UCL In the 21st century the medical school has continued to excel and it is associated with 13 Nobel Prize recipients seven recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and six of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 158 In 2021 it was ranked third in the UK by The Times University Guide 159 and the Complete University Guide In 2022 it was ranked the UK s best medical school by the Guardian University Guide 160 It also ranked 21st in the world by both the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings in 2021 161 The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies is a world leader in veterinary education research and practice The eight original faculties formed four Faculty Groups in August 1992 Medicine and Veterinary Medicine became one of these and in 2002 became the smallest of the three colleges with 7 740 students and 1 896 academic staff 155 5 The university s teaching hospitals include the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Western General Hospital St John s Hospital Livingston Roodlands Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children and Young People 162 163 164 Science and Engineering edit Main article University of Edinburgh College of Science and Engineering nbsp Old Surgical Hospital in Drummond Street once part of the Royal Infirmary today houses the university s Institute of Geography In the 16th century science was taught as natural philosophy in the university The 17th century saw the institution of the University Chairs of Mathematics and Botany followed the next century by Chairs of Natural History Astronomy Chemistry and Agriculture It was Edinburgh s professors who took a leading part in the formation of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 Joseph Black Professor of Medicine and Chemistry at the time founded the world s first Chemical Society in 1785 165 The first named degrees of Bachelor and Doctor of Science was instituted in 1864 and a separate Faculty of Science was created in 1893 after three centuries of scientific advances at Edinburgh 165 The Regius Chair in Engineering was established in 1868 and the Regius Chair in Geology in 1871 In 1991 the Faculty of Science was renamed the Faculty of Science and Engineering and in 2002 it became the College of Science and Engineering The college has 11 745 students and 2 937 academic staff 155 5 School of Biological Sciences School of Chemistry School of Engineering School of GeoSciences School of Informatics School of Mathematics School of Physics and Astronomy Sub units centres and institutes edit nbsp Minto House built in 1878 for extramural medical classes and now containing the Art and Architecture Library nbsp Edinburgh Futures Institute taking shape on the former site of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Some subunits centres and institutes within the university are listed as follows 166 Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute AIAI Bayes Centre Centre for the History of the Book CHB Centre for Regenerative Medicine CRM Centre for the Study of World Christianity CSWC Centre for Theology and Public Issues CTPI Digital Curation Centre DCC Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre ECRC Edinburgh Dental Institute EDI Edinburgh Futures Institute EFI Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre EPCC Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture ESALA Euan MacDonald Centre Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities IASH International Centre for Mathematical Sciences ICMS Institute for the Study of Science Technology and Innovation ISSTI Koestler Parapsychology Unit Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science LFCS MRC Human Genetics Unit MRC HGU MRC Centre for Inflammation Research Nursing Studies Roslin Institute Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre Scottish Studies UK Centre for Astrobiology UKCA Usher Institute Staff Community and Networking edit In June 2023 the University employed over 11 800 full time equivalent staff 167 College of Arts Humanities amp Social Sciences 2 804 College of Medicine amp Veterinary Medicine 2 868 College of Science amp Engineering 2 709 Corporate Services Group 2 145 Information Services Group 685 University Secretaries Group 674 University of Edinburgh Total 11 885 As part of the university s support for researchers 168 each College has Research Staff Societies that include postdoc societies and organisations specific to each school 169 Cross curricula Research Networks bring together researchers working on similar topics 170 Independently of the College hierarchy aligned with the university s EDI policy seven Staff Networks bring together and represent diverse staff groups 171 Disabled Staff Network 172 Staff BAME Network 173 Edinburgh Race Equality Network 174 Staff Pride Network 175 University amp College Unions incorporating the national academic union 176 and the in house Edinburgh University Union 177 Long term Research Staff Network 178 Support for Technicians 179 and Steering Committee 180 Industrial action edit Staff at the university have been engaged in the sector wide 2018 2023 UK higher education strikes called by the University and College Union over disputes regarding USS pensions pay and working conditions A Marking and Assessment Boycott 181 that commenced on 20 April 2023 182 was called off on 6 September 2023 183 However the UCU voted to continue strike action throughout the rest of September 184 185 Academic profile editThe university is a member of the Russell Group of research led British universities and the Sutton 13 group of top ranked universities in the UK 186 It is the only British university to be a member of both the Coimbra Group and the League of European Research Universities and it is a founding member of Una Europa and Universitas 21 both international associations of research intensive universities 187 The university maintains historically strong ties with the neighbouring Heriot Watt University for teaching and research Edinburgh also offers a wide range of free online MOOC courses on three global platforms Coursera Edx and FutureLearn 188 189 Admissions edit Undergraduate admission statistics 14 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Applications 75 438 68 954 62 220 60 983 58 411 Offers 25 210 32 432 31 510 27 878 25 532 Offer Rate 33 0 47 0 50 6 45 7 43 7 Enrolls 6 111 8 083 7 344 6 346 6 221 Yield 24 2 24 9 23 3 22 8 24 4 Applicant Enrolled Ratio 12 34 8 53 8 47 9 61 9 39 Average Entry Tariff 15 197 190 186 187 HESA Student Body Composition Domicile 190 and Ethnicity 191 Total British White 47 47 British Ethnic Minorities c 9 9 International EU 9 9 International Non EU 35 35 Undergraduate Widening Participation Indicators 192 193 Female 61 61 Private School 36 36 Low Participation Areas d 9 9 In 2021 the University of Edinburgh had the seventh highest average entry standards amongst universities in the UK with new undergraduates averaging 197 UCAS points equivalent to just above AAAA in A level grades 15 It gave offers of admission to 33 of its 18 year old applicants in 2022 the fourth lowest amongst the Russell Group 194 In 2022 excluding courses within Edinburgh College of Art the most competitive courses for Scottish applicants were Oral Health Science 9 Business 11 Philosophy amp Psychology 14 Social Work 15 and International Business 15 195 For students from the rest of the UK the most competitive courses were Nursing 5 Medicine 6 Veterinary Medicine 6 Psychology 8 and Politics Philosophy and Economics 10 196 For international students the most competitive courses were Medicine 5 Nursing 7 Business 11 Politics Philosophy and Economics 12 and Sociology 13 197 For the academic year 2019 20 36 8 of Edinburgh s new undergraduates were privately educated the second highest proportion among mainstream British universities behind only Oxford 198 As of August 2021 it has a higher proportion of female than male students with a male to female ratio of 38 62 in the undergraduate population and the undergraduate student body is composed of 30 Scottish students 32 from the rest of the UK 10 from the EU and 28 from outside the EU 5 Graduation edit See also Academic dress of the University of Edinburgh nbsp Edinburgh graduation ceremony in the McEwan Hall At graduation ceremonies graduates are being capped with the Geneva bonnet which involves the university s principal tapping them on the head with the cap while they receive their graduation certificate 199 The velvet and silk hat has been used for over 150 years and legend says that it was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of 16th century scholars John Knox or George Buchanan 200 However when the hat was last restored in the early 2000s a label dated 1849 was discovered bearing the name of Edinburgh tailor Henry Banks although some doubt remains whether he manufactured or restored the hat 199 201 In 2006 a university emblem that had been taken into space by astronaut and Edinburgh graduate Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva bonnet 202 Library system edit Main article Edinburgh University Library nbsp Playfair Library Hall in Old College Pre dating the university by three years Edinburgh University Library was founded in 1580 through the donation of a large collection by Clement Litill and today is the largest academic library collection in Scotland 203 204 The Brutalist style eight storey Main Library building in George Square was designed by Sir Basil Spence At the time of its completion in 1967 it was the largest building of its type in the UK and today is a category A listed building 205 The library system also includes many specialised libraries at the college and school level 206 Exchange programmes edit nbsp The former principal Sir Timothy O Shea signed an agreement with Peking University in 2012 The university offers students the opportunity to study in Europe and beyond via the European Union s Erasmus programme e and a variety of international exchange agreements with around 300 partners institutions in nearly 40 countries worldwide 208 University wide exchanges are open to almost any student whose degree permits a year abroad and who can find a suitable course combination The list of partner institutions is shown as follows part of 209 Asia Pacific Fudan University University of Hong Kong University of Melbourne Seoul National University University of Sydney National University of Singapore Nanyang Technological University Europe University of Amsterdam University of Copenhagen University of Helsinki Lund University Sciences Po University College Dublin Uppsala University Latin America National Autonomous University of Mexico Pontifical Catholic University of Chile University of Sao Paulo Northern America Boston College Barnard College of Columbia University University of California except for Merced and San Francisco 210 Caltech University of Chicago Cornell University Georgetown University McGill University University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Pennsylvania University of Texas at Austin University of Toronto University of Virginia Washington University in St Louis Subject specific exchanges are open to students studying in particular schools or subject areas including exchange programmes with Carnegie Mellon University Emory University Ecole du Louvre EPFL ETH Zurich ESSEC Business School ENS Paris HEC Paris Humboldt University of Berlin Karolinska Institute Kyoto University LMU Munich University of Michigan Peking University Rhode Island School of Design Sorbonne University TU Munchen Waseda University Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and others 209 Rankings and reputation edit RankingsNational rankingsComplete 2024 211 12Guardian 2024 212 14Times Sunday Times 2024 213 13Global rankingsARWU 2023 214 38QS 2024 215 22THE 2024 216 30 nbsp University of Edinburgh s national league table performance over the past ten years In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework REF which evaluated work produced between 2014 and 2021 Edinburgh ranked 4th by research power and 15th by GPA amongst British universities 217 The university fell four places in GPA when compared to the 2014 REF but retained its place in research power 218 90 per cent of the university s research activity was judged to be world leading 4 or internationally excellent 3 and five departments Computer Science Informatics Sociology Anthropology and Development Studies were ranked as the best in the UK 219 In the 2015 THE Global Employability University Ranking Edinburgh ranked 23rd in the world and 4th in the UK for graduate employability as voted by international recruiters 220 A 2015 government report found that Edinburgh was one of only two Scottish universities along with St Andrews that some London based elite recruitment firms considered applicants from especially in the field of financial services and investment banking 221 When The New York Times ranked universities based on the employability of graduates as evaluated by recruiters from top companies in 20 countries in 2012 Edinburgh was placed at 42nd in the world and 7th in Britain 222 Edinburgh was ranked 24th in the world and 5th in the UK by the 2021 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities a league table based on the three major world university rankings ARWU QS and THE 223 In the 2022 U S News amp World Report Edinburgh ranked 32nd globally and 5th nationally 224 The 2022 World Reputation Rankings placed Edinburgh at 32nd worldwide and 5th nationwide 225 In 2023 it ranked 73rd amongst the universities around the world by the SCImago Institutions Rankings 226 The disparity between Edinburgh s research capacity endowment and international status on the one hand and its ranking in national league tables on the other is largely due to the impact of measures of student satisfaction 227 Edinburgh was ranked last in the UK for teaching quality in the 2012 National Student Survey 228 with the 2015 Good University Guide stating that this stemmed from questions to do with the promptness usefulness and extent of academic feedback and that the university still has a long way to go to turn around a poor position 229 Edinburgh improved only marginally over the next years with the 2021 Good University Guide still ranking it in the bottom 10 domestically in both teaching quality and student experience 230 Edinburgh was ranked 122nd out of 128 universities for student satisfaction in the 2022 Complete University Guide although it was ranked 12th overall 231 The 2024 Guardian University Guide ranked Edinburgh 14th overall but 50th out of 120 universities in teaching satisfaction and lowest among all universities in satisfaction with feedback 232 In the 2022 Complete University Guide 32 out of the 49 subjects offered by Edinburgh were ranked within the top 10 in the UK with Asian Studies 4th Chemical Engineering 4th Education 2nd Geology 5th Linguistics 5th Mechanical Engineering 5th Medicine 5th Music 5th Nursing 1st Physics amp Astronomy 5th Social Policy 5th Theology amp Religious Studies 4th and Veterinary Medicine 2nd within the top 5 231 The 2021 THE World University Rankings by Subject ranked Edinburgh 10th worldwide in Arts and Humanities 15th in Law 16th in Psychology 21st in Clinical Pre clinical amp Health 22nd in Computer Science 28th in Education 28th in Life Science 43rd in Business amp Economics 44th in Social Sciences 45th in Physical Sciences and 86th in Engineering amp Technology 233 The 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject placed Edinburgh at 10th globally in Arts amp Humanities 23rd in Life Sciences amp Medicine 36th in Natural Sciences 50th in Social Sciences amp Management and 59th in Engineering amp Technology 234 According to CSRankings computer science at Edinburgh was ranked 1st in the UK and 36th globally and Edinburgh was the best in natural language processing NLP in the world 235 Student life editStudents Association edit Main article Edinburgh University Students Association nbsp The Pleasance one of EUSA s main buildings is a theatre bar sports and recreation complex Edinburgh University Students Association EUSA consists of the students union and the students representative council EUSA s buildings include Teviot Row House The Pleasance Potterrow Student Centre Kings Buildings House as well as shops cafes and refectories across the various campuses Teviot Row House is considered the oldest purpose built student union building in the world 63 236 Most of these buildings are operated as Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues during August EUSA represents students to the university and the wider world and is responsible for over 250 student societies at the university The association has five sabbatical office bearers a president and four vice presidents EUSA is affiliated with the National Union of Students NUS Performing arts edit Amateur dramatic societies benefit from Edinburgh being an important cultural hub for comedy amateur and fringe theatre throughout the UK most prominently through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 237 nbsp EMUS Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler s Symphony No 1 at Greyfriars Kirk The Edinburgh University Music Society EUMS is a student run musical organisation which is Scotland s oldest student s musical society it can be traced back to a concert in February 1867 238 It performs three concert series throughout the year whilst also undertaking a programme of charity events and education projects 239 nbsp The student run Bedlam Theatre home to the Edinburgh University Theatre Company The Edinburgh University Theatre Company EUTC founded in 1890 as the Edinburgh University Drama Society is known for running Bedlam Theatre the oldest student run theatre in Britain and venue for the Fringe 240 241 EUTC also funds acclaimed improvisational comedy troupe The Improverts during term time and the Fringe 242 243 Alumni include Sir Michael Boyd Ian Charleson Kevin McKidd and Greg Wise The Edinburgh Studio Opera formerly Edinburgh University Opera Club is a student opera company in Edinburgh It performs at least one fully staged opera each year 244 The Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group EUSOG is an opera and musical theatre company founded by students in 1961 to promote and perform the comic operettas of Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan collectively known as Savoy Operas after the theatre in which they were originally staged 245 The Edinburgh University Footlights are a musical theatre company founded in 1989 and produce two large scale shows a year 246 247 One of the founders is the Theatre Producer Colin Ingram 248 Theatre Parodok founded in 2004 is a student theatre company that aims to produce shows that are experimental without being exclusive They stage one large show each semester and one for the festival 249 Media edit The Student is a fortnightly student newspaper Founded in 1887 by writer Robert Louis Stevenson it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom 250 Former writers of the newspaper include politicians Gordon Brown Robin Cook and Lord Steel of Aikwood 251 252 It has been independent of the university since 1992 but was forced to temporarily fold in 2002 due to increasing debts The newspaper won a number of student newspaper awards in the years following its relaunch 250 The Journal was an independent publication established in 2007 by three students and former writers for The Student It was also distributed to other higher education institutions in the city such as Heriot Watt University Edinburgh Napier University and Telford College It was the largest such publication in Scotland with a print run of 10 000 copies Despite winning a number of awards for its journalism the magazine folded in 2015 due to financial difficulties 253 FreshAir launched on 3 October 1992 is an alternative music student radio station The station is one of the oldest surviving student radio stations in the UK and won the Student Radio Station of the Year award at the annual Student Radio Awards in 2004 254 In September 2015 the Edinburgh University Student Television EUTV became the newest addition to the student media scene at the university producing a regular magazine style programme documentaries and other special events 255 Sport edit Main article Edinburgh University Sports Union nbsp Edinburgh University Mountaineering Club at the cairn on Ciste Dhubh 1964 Student sport at Edinburgh consists of clubs covering the more traditional rugby football rowing and judo to the more unconventional korfball gliding and mountaineering In 2021 the university had over 65 sports clubs run by Edinburgh University Sports Union EUSU 256 The Scottish Varsity known as the world s oldest varsity match is a rugby match played annually against the University of St Andrews dating back over 150 years 257 Discontinued in the 1950s the match was resurrected in 2011 and was staged in London at the home of London Scottish RFC It is played at the beginning of the academic year and since 2015 has been staged at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh 258 The Scottish Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the Glasgow University Boat Club and the Edinburgh University Boat Club rowed between competing eights on the River Clyde in Glasgow Scotland Started in 1877 it is believed to be the third oldest university boat race in the world predated by the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and the Harvard Yale Regatta 259 Edinburgh athletes have repeatedly been successful at the Olympic Games Sprinter Eric Liddell won gold and bronze at the 1924 Summer Olympics At the 1948 Summer Olympics alumnus Jackie Robinson won a gold medal with the American Basketball team Trap shooter Bob Braithwaite secured a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy won six gold and one silver medal between 2000 and 2012 Rower Dame Katherine Grainger won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and four further silver medals between 2000 and 2016 Edinburgh was the most successful UK university at the 2012 Games with two gold medals from Hoy and one from Grainger 260 Student activism edit There are a number of campaigning societies at the university The largest of these include the environment and poverty campaigning group People amp Planet and Amnesty International Society International development organisations include Edinburgh Global Partnerships which was established as a student led charity in 1990 261 There is also a significant left wing presence on campus 262 including an anti austerity group Edinburgh University Anarchist Society Edinburgh University Socialist Society Edinburgh Young Greens Feminist Society LGBT Pride 263 Marxist Society and Students for Justice in Palestine 264 Protests demonstrations and occupations are regular occurrences at the university 265 266 267 The activist group People amp Planet took over Charles Stewart House in 2015 and again in 2016 in protest over the university s investment in companies active in arms manufacturing or fossil fuel extraction 268 269 In May 2015 a security guard was charged in relation to the occupations 270 Student co operatives edit There are three student run co operatives associated with the University Edinburgh Student Housing Co operative ESHC providing affordable housing for 106 students 271 the Hearty Squirrel Food Cooperative providing local organic and affordable food to students and staff 272 and the SHRUB Coop a swap and re use hub aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability 273 Of these only the Hearty Squirrel Co operative operates on campus ESHC is based on the Bruntsfield Links south of the University s central campus and hosts students from all three city universities and Edinburgh College The SHRUB co operative was formed partly by University of Edinburgh students but is now run by interested members from across Edinburgh The co operatives form part of the Students for Cooperation network 274 Notable people editMain articles List of University of Edinburgh people and List of University of Edinburgh medical people The university is associated with some of the most significant intellectual and scientific contributions in human history which include the foundation of Antiseptic surgery Joseph Lister 275 Bayesian statistics Thomas Bayes 276 Economics Adam Smith 277 Electromagnetism James Clerk Maxwell 278 Evolution Charles Darwin 279 280 Knot theory Peter Guthrie Tait 281 modern Geology James Hutton 282 Nephrology Richard Bright 283 Endocrinology Edward Albert Sharpey Schafer 284 Hematology William Hewson 285 Dermatology Robert Willan 286 Epigenetics C H Waddington 287 Gestalt psychology Kurt Koffka Thermodynamics William Rankine Colloid chemistry Thomas Graham 288 and Wave theory Thomas Young the discovery of Brownian motion Robert Brown 289 Magnesium carbon dioxide latent heat and specific heat Joseph Black 290 291 chloroform anaesthesia Sir James Young Simpson 292 Hepatitis B vaccine Sir Kenneth Murray 293 Cygnus X 1 black hole Paul Murdin 294 Higgs mechanism Sir Tom Kibble 295 296 structure of DNA Sir John Randall 297 HPV vaccine Ian Frazer Iridium and Osmium Smithson Tennant 298 Nitrogen Daniel Rutherford 299 Strontium Thomas Charles Hope 300 and SARS coronavirus Zhong Nanshan 301 and the invention of the Stirling engine Robert Stirling 302 Cavity magnetron Sir John Randall 303 ATM John Shepherd Barron 304 refrigerator William Cullen 305 diving chamber John Scott Haldane 306 reflecting telescope James Gregory 307 hypodermic syringe Alexander Wood 308 309 kaleidoscope Sir David Brewster 310 pneumatic tyre John Boyd Dunlop 311 telephone Alexander Graham Bell 312 telpherage Fleeming Jenkin and vacuum flask Sir James Dewar 313 Other notable alumni and academic staff of the university have included signatories to the US Declaration of Independence Benjamin Rush 314 James Wilson 315 and John Witherspoon 316 actors Ian Charleson 317 Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd architects Robert Adam 318 William Thornton William Henry Playfair 319 Sir Basil Spence and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw astronaut Piers Sellers 320 biologists Sir Adrian Bird 321 Sir Richard Owen 322 and Sir Ian Wilmut 323 business executives Tony Hayward Alan Jope Lars Rasmussen and Susie Wolff composer Max Richter economists Kenneth E Boulding 324 and Thomas Chalmers historians Thomas Carlyle 325 and Neil MacGregor journalists Laura Kuenssberg and Peter Pomerantsev judges Lord Reed 326 and Lord Hodge 327 mathematicians Sir W V D Hodge 328 Colin Maclaurin 329 and Sir E T Whittaker 330 philosophers Benjamin Constant Adam Ferguson 331 Ernest Gellner and David Hume 332 physicians Thomas Addison 333 William Cullen 334 Valentin Fuster Thomas Hodgkin 335 and James Lind 336 pilot Eric Brown 337 surgeons James Barry 338 Joseph Bell 339 Robert Liston 340 and B K Misra 341 sociologists Sir Patrick Geddes 342 and David Bloor 343 writers Sir J M Barrie 344 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 345 346 John Fowles Oliver Goldsmith J K Rowling f 347 Sir Walter Scott 348 and Robert Louis Stevenson 349 Chancellors of the Exchequer John Anderson 350 and Lord Henry Petty 351 former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Sir Michael Cullen current Vice President of Syria Najah al Attar former Director General of MI5 Stella Rimington First Lords of the Admiralty Lord Melville Robert Dundas 2nd Viscount Melville Lord Minto and Lord Selkirk Foreign Secretaries Robin Cook 352 and Sir Malcolm Rifkind 353 former acting First Minister of Scotland Jim Wallace and Olympic gold medallists Bob Braithwaite Katherine Grainger Sir Chris Hoy and Eric Liddell 354 Notable Edinburgh alumni before the 20th century nbsp Robert Adam neoclassical architect nbsp J M Barrie novelist and playwright nbsp James Barry surgeon nbsp Thomas Bayes statistician nbsp Joseph Black physicist and chemist nbsp Richard Bright physician father of nephrology nbsp Robert Brown botanist discovered Brownian motion nbsp Thomas Carlyle essayist historian and philosopher nbsp Thomas Chalmers political economist nbsp Charles Darwin naturalist and biologist nbsp Adam Ferguson philosopher and historian nbsp David Hume philosopher nbsp James Hutton geologist father of modern geology nbsp James Clerk Maxwell mathematician and physicist nbsp Richard Owen biologist coined the term dinosaur nbsp Macquorn Rankine engineer founding contributor to thermodynamics nbsp Benjamin Rush signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence nbsp Walter Scott novelist and poet nbsp James Young Simpson physician nbsp Robert Louis Stevenson novelist and poet nbsp Dugald Stewart philosopher and mathematician nbsp James Wilson Founding Father of the United States nbsp John Witherspoon Founding Father of the United States nbsp Thomas Young polymath Nobel and Nobel equivalent prizes edit See also List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation nbsp Max Born Tait Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh from 1936 to 1953 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 355 nbsp Peter Higgs faculty at Edinburgh since 1960 and Emeritus Professor after 1996 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 356 As of August 2023 update 19 Nobel Prize laureates have been affiliated with the university as alumni faculty members or researchers three additional laureates acted as administrative staff 20 including one of the fathers of quantum mechanics Max Born 357 theoretical physicist Peter Higgs 358 chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart 359 immunologist Peter C Doherty 360 economist Sir James Mirrlees 361 discoverer of Characteristic X ray Charles Glover Barkla 362 and the mechanism of ATP synthesis Peter D Mitchell 363 and pioneer in cryo electron microscopy Richard Henderson 364 and in vitro fertilisation Sir Robert Edwards 365 Turing Award winners Geoffrey Hinton 366 Robin Milner 367 Leslie Valiant 368 and mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah 369 Fields Medalist and Abel Prize laureate are associated with the university In the following table the number following a person s name is the year they received the Nobel prize In particular a number with an asterisk means the person received the award while they were working at the university including emeritus staff A name underlined implies that this person has been listed previously i e multiple affiliations Category Alumni Long term academic staff Short term academic staff Physics 4 Igor Tamm 1958 Peter Higgs 2013 Max Born 1954 Charles Glover Barkla 1917 Chemistry 6 Richard Henderson 2017 Fraser Stoddart 2016 Peter D Mitchell 1978 Kurt Wuthrich 2002 Alexander R Todd 1957 Vincent du Vigneaud 1955 Physiology or Medicine 7 Robert G Edwards 2010 Peter C Doherty 1996 Hermann J Muller 1946 Michael Rosbash 2017 Edvard Moser 2014 May Britt Moser 2014 Robert G Edwards 2010 Paul Nurse 2001 Economics 1 James Mirrlees 1996 Peace 1 Joseph Rotblat 1995 Heads of state and government edit nbsp Gordon Brown former Prime Minister and consecutive 10 year long Chancellor of the Exchequer is an alumnus MA 72 PhD 82 and former rector of the university 370 Leader State government Office Hastings Banda 371 372 nbsp Malawi Prime Minister 1964 1966 President 1966 1994 Sir Robert Black 373 nbsp Colony of Singapore Governor 1955 1957 nbsp British Hong Kong Governor 1958 1964 Sir Thomas Brisbane 374 nbsp New South Wales Governor 1821 1825 Gordon Brown 375 nbsp United Kingdom Prime Minister 2007 2010 Chang Taek sang 張澤相 376 nbsp South Korea Prime Minister 1952 John Crawfurd 377 nbsp Colonial Singapore Resident 1823 1826 Sir Gilbert Elliott 378 nbsp Anglo Corsican Kingdom Viceroy 1793 1796 nbsp British India Governor General 1807 1813 Sir Dawda Jawara 379 nbsp Gambia Colony and Protectorate Prime Minister 1962 1965 nbsp The Gambia Prime Minister 1965 1970 President 1970 1994 Yusuf Lule 380 nbsp Uganda President 1979 Fawzi Mulki 381 nbsp Jordan Prime Minister 1953 1954 Lord Dunrossil 382 nbsp Australia Governor General 1960 1961 Daniel Chanis Pinzon 383 nbsp Panama President 1949 Julius Nyerere 384 385 nbsp Tanganyika Chief Minister 1960 1961 Prime Minister 1961 1962 President 1962 1964 nbsp Tanzania President 1964 1985 Paul Reeves 386 nbsp New Zealand Governor General 1985 1990 Lord John Russell 387 nbsp United Kingdom Prime Minister 1846 1852 1865 1866 Lord Palmerston 388 nbsp United Kingdom Prime Minister 1855 1858 1859 1865 Sir Charles Tupper 389 nbsp Canada Prime Minister 1896 William Walker nbsp Nicaragua President 1856 1857 Yun Posun 尹潽善 390 nbsp South Korea President 1960 1962 In popular culture editThe University of Edinburgh has featured prominently in a number of works of popular culture The events of the Burke and Hare murders involving Edinburgh lecturer Robert Knox and the anatomical department have made a wide range of appearances in popular culture 391 They became the basis for Robert Louis Stevenson s short story The Body Snatcher 1884 and most recently in 2010 for Burke amp Hare a black comedy film starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis Scenes were filmed at the old School of Anatomy 392 Many of Arthur Conan Doyle s works drew inspiration from his mentors at the university Joseph Bell a lecturer and surgeon famous for drawing conclusions from minute observations became the archetype for Conan Doyle s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes William Rutherford Conan Doyle s physiology professor provided the template for Professor Challenger the protagonist of his science fiction work The Lost World 1912 Edinburgh is also Challenger s alma mater in the books Dr Fu Manchu a fictional supervillain created by Sax Rohmer in 1912 stated that I am a doctor of philosophy from Edinburgh a doctor of law from Christ s College a doctor of medicine from Harvard My friends out of courtesy call me Doctor g In 2010 Fu Manchu s connections with the University where he supposedly obtained a doctorate were investigated in a mockumentary by Miles Jupp also an Edinburgh alumnus for BBC Radio 4 393 394 In the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959 an adaptation of Jules Verne s novel of the same name the protagonist Sir Oliver Lindenbrook is a Professor of Geology at the university An early scene where Lindenbrook addresses the students is filmed at the central quadrangle of Old College 395 The historical film Chariots of Fire 1981 is based on the story of Olympic runner and Edinburgh graduate Eric Liddell and includes scenes filmed outside of Assembly Hall New College 396 Liddell is played by Ian Charleson who is also an Edinburgh alumnus In the novel The Last King of Scotland 1998 by Giles Foden the fictional protagonist Dr Nicholas Garrigan is a medical doctor recently graduated from Edinburgh The 2006 film of the same name stars James McAvoy in the role of Dr Garrigan with the same background In the American television show NCIS 2003 present the chief medical examiner Dr Donald Ducky Mallard studied medicine at Edinburgh Ari Haswari the show s main antagonist for the first two seasons also studied medicine at Edinburgh 397 In the novel One Day 2009 the lead characters Dexter and Emma both graduated from Edinburgh A feature film based on the book also titled One Day and starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess was released in August 2011 with some scenes filmed at the university 398 A Netflix adaptation of the movie started production in 2021 with filming occurring in the grounds of Old College in 2022 399 The BBC legal drama Garrow s Law 2009 2011 was largely filmed in Edinburgh despite being set in London Old College and the Playfair Library are prominently featured 400 The thriller television series Clique 2017 2019 produced by BBC Three focuses on two students at the university The series was shot largely on location in Edinburgh including The Meadows Old College and Potterrow 401 402 Fast amp Furious 9 2021 partly set in Edinburgh featured scenes in and around Old College filmed in September 2019 403 See also edit nbsp Edinburgh portal nbsp Scotland portal Academic dress of the University of Edinburgh Armorial of UK universities Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press Edinburgh University Settlement Epistemics a term for cognitive science coined in 1969 by the University of Edinburgh Gifford Lectures James Tait Black Memorial Prize List of early modern universities in Europe List of organisations with a British royal charter List of professorships at the University of Edinburgh List of universities in the United KingdomNotes edit HESA numbers given here are significantly lower than those reported by the university since HESA does not include non graduating and visiting students postgraduates writing up and online learning students living abroad 5 Liddell 1 Robinson 1 Braithwaite 1 Hoy 6 Grainger 1 Includes those who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Asian Black Mixed Heritage Arab or any other ethnicity except White Calculated from the Polar4 measure using Quintile1 in England and Wales Calculated from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation SIMD measure using SIMD20 in Scotland Following Brexit the UK will no longer participate in the next Erasmus programme 2021 2027 but funding remains available for students to go abroad under the current programme until 31 May 2023 207 Rowling attended the Moray House School of Education in 1995 before it merged with the university in 1998 The Mask of Fu Manchu 1932References edit a b c d Opening of Edinburgh University 1583 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 a b c Annual Report and Accounts for the Year to 31 July 2023 PDF The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 30 January 2024 a b Staff Headcount amp Full Time Equivalent Statistics FTE as at Oct 22 Human Resources The University of Edinburgh October 2022 Retrieved 24 January 2023 a b c d Where do HE students study HESA hesa ac uk a b c d e Factsheet of Student Figures PDF Strategic Planning The University of Edinburgh 11 August 2021 Retrieved 14 August 2021 Edinburgh s core colours The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 17 June 2021 Moss Michael S June 2004 Reviewed Work The University of Edinburgh An Illustrated History by Robert D Anderson Michael Lynch Nicholas Phillipson The English Historical Review 119 482 810 811 doi 10 1093 ehr 119 482 810 JSTOR 3489575 Retrieved 16 August 2021 Lowrey John June 2001 From Caesarea to Athens Greek Revival Edinburgh and the Question of Scottish Identity within the Unionist State Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 60 2 136 157 doi 10 2307 991701 JSTOR 991701 Retrieved 25 August 2021 The University of Edinburgh Rankings Fees amp Courses Details Top Universities 27 June 2023 Retrieved 24 August 2023 World University Rankings University of Edinburgh Times Higher Education 27 September 2023 Retrieved 28 September 2023 Shanghai Ranking Universities Shanghairanking com Retrieved 24 August 2022 Affiliations The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 a b University Heritage Edinburgh World Heritage 24 November 2017 Retrieved 16 August 2021 a b Undergraduate admissions statistics The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 a b c Complete University Guide 2024 Entry Standards The Complete University Guide 7 June 2023 Retrieved 30 January 2024 a b New Chancellor elected The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 20 September 2011 JK Rowling awarded honorary degree The Telegraph 8 July 2004 Retrieved 1 March 2024 Alumni in history The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 18 August 2021 Commemorative plaques The University of Edinburgh 14 May 2019 Retrieved 19 November 2021 a b Nobel Prizes The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 23 August 2021 a b c d Will of Bishop Robert Reid 1557 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 Charter by King James VI The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 Grant Alexander 1884 The Story of the University of Edinburgh During Its First Three Hundred Years London Longmans Green amp Co Retrieved 14 August 2021 Horner Winifred Bryan 1993 Nineteenth century Scottish Rhetoric The American Connection Southern Illinois University Press p 19 ISBN 9780809314706 Retrieved 13 September 2021 a b University of Edinburgh Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 19 August 2021 Hermans Jos M M Nelissen Marc 1 January 2005 Charters of Foundation and Early Documents of the Universities of the Coimbra Group Leuven University Press p 42 ISBN 90 5867 474 6 Retrieved 19 August 2021 a b Our History Robert Rollock 1555 1599 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Wormald Jenny 1983 Court Kirk and Community Scotland 1470 1625 2nd ed Edinburgh University Press p 288 ISBN 978 0 7486 2901 5 JSTOR 10 3366 j ctt1tqxtnk Retrieved 13 September 2021 Our History James VI and I The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 August 2021 Our History University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 a b Our History Purge of Episcopalian and Jacobite Staff 1690 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 September 2021 To Thomas Mann Randolph Jr Paris Aug 27 1786 University of Groningen Retrieved 15 August 2013 a b c Our History Town Council The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 27 August 2021 Our history The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 Foundation of Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres 1760 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 October 2021 a b 250th Anniversary of English Literature The University of Edinburgh 18 October 2011 Archived from the original on 1 May 2013 Retrieved 15 November 2012 Mullett Charles F 1 February 1968 A Short History of the University of Edinburgh 1556 1889 By D B Horn The American Historical Review 73 3 808 doi 10 1086 ahr 73 3 808 Retrieved 14 August 2021 a b Thornton Robert Fall 1968 The University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Enlightenment Texas Studies in Literature and Language 10 3 415 422 JSTOR 40755174 Retrieved 13 September 2021 Morrell J B 1971 The University of Edinburgh in the Late Eighteenth Century Its Scientific Eminence and Academic Structure Isis 62 2 158 171 doi 10 1086 350728 S2CID 144076477 Retrieved 19 August 2021 Scottish Enlightenment Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 2 September 2021 Nolan J Bennett 1938 Benjamin Franklin in Scotland and Ireland 1759 and 1771 Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press p 50 doi 10 9783 9781512805048 ISBN 9781512805031 Retrieved 19 August 2021 From Thomas Jefferson to Dugald Stewart 21 June 1789 Founders Online Retrieved 19 August 2021 Laying of Foundation Stone of Old College The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Medicine at the University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 August 2021 Campus curiosities 17 Tunnels Times Higher Education 11 November 2005 Retrieved 13 September 2021 a b Self guided tour to Central Area PDF The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 16 August 2021 McLean David 14 December 2020 This Edinburgh students snowball fight ended with the army being sent in The Edinburgh Evening News The Scotsman Retrieved 3 December 2023 Edinburgh Snowball Riot of 1838 Old Weird Scotland Retrieved 4 December 2023 Snowball Fights in Art 1400 1946 The Public Domain Review Retrieved 4 December 2023 a b Our History Universities Scotland Act 1858 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 27 August 2021 Edinburgh Seven The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 August 2021 Moore Wendy 5 July 2019 Trailblazing women in medicine laurels at last for Edinburgh Seven Lancet 394 10195 294 295 doi 10 1016 s0140 6736 19 31565 x PMID 31285040 S2CID 205990929 Retrieved 19 August 2021 First Graduation of Female Students 1893 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 McCullins Darren 16 November 2018 Sophia Jex Blake The battle to be Scotland s first female doctor BBC News Retrieved 13 September 2021 Edinburgh Seven honoured with plaque in Edinburgh BBC News 10 September 2015 Retrieved 6 September 2020 Pioneering Edinburgh Seven students awarded honorary degrees The Herald Glasgow 6 July 2019 Retrieved 19 August 2021 Our History Medical School The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Opening of New Medical School 1884 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 William McEwan The University of Edinburgh 17 August 2017 Retrieved 19 November 2021 Opening of McEwan Hall 1897 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Foundation of Students Representative Council 1884 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Wintersgill Donald 8 October 2009 Bell Robert Fitzroy 1859 1908 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 100753 Retrieved 14 August 2021 Subscription or UK public library membership required a b c Opening of University Union 1889 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Our History Edinburgh University Women s Union The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 23 September 2021 Foundation of Edinburgh University Students Association 1973 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Catto Iain 1 January 1989 No spirits and precious few women Edinburgh University Union 1889 1989 Edinburgh University Union Retrieved 22 August 2021 a b Laying of Foundation Stone of King s Buildings 1920 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 27 August 2021 Our History King s Buildings The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Foundation of New College 1846 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Faculty of Divinity The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 17 August 2021 Brown Stewart J 1 July 1996 The Disruption and the Dream The Making of New College 1843 1861 In Wright David F Badcock Gary D eds Disruption to Diversity Edinburgh Divinity 1846 1996 Edinburgh Bloomsbury Publishing pp 29 50 ISBN 978 0567085177 Retrieved 19 August 2021 Merger of New College and University Faculty of Divinity New College Past Present amp Future 14 October 2020 Retrieved 17 August 2021 The Polish School of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh 1941 1949 The University of Edinburgh 23 June 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2021 Foundation of Polish School of Medicine 1941 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 The Polish School of Medicine Polish Scottish Heritage Retrieved 21 August 2021 William Dick a pioneer of veterinary education The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 November 2021 Integration of Royal Dick Veterinary College 1951 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 Yarwood Dianne 11 January 2024 Carter Gladys Beaumont 1887 1959 midwife and nurse Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 odnb 9780198614128 013 90000382489 ISBN 978 0 19 861412 8 retrieved 7 February 2024 Edinburgh s student roll now 7 400 The Herald Glasgow 5 October 1960 p 6 Retrieved 15 May 2017 George Square Edinburgh World Heritage 24 November 2017 Retrieved 19 August 2021 a b Merger with Moray House Institute of Education 1998 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 School of Education name change honours sport College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences 1 August 2019 Retrieved 18 August 2021 Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Gazetteer for Scotland Retrieved 11 June 2020 a b Opening of New Medical School 2002 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Donnelly Brian 27 June 2007 Hotel chain s founder gives cash for motor neurone centre The Herald Glasgow Retrieved 15 September 2014 Anderson Barry 4 October 2011 Motor neurone sufferer gives 1m to create research centre The Scotsman Edinburgh Retrieved 29 September 2014 JK Rowling gives 10m for Edinburgh MS centre BBC News 31 August 2010 Retrieved 15 August 2021 JK Rowling s MS clinic is officially opened at Edinburgh University BBC News 8 October 2013 Retrieved 31 August 2020 Princess Royal opens Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine BBC News 28 May 2012 Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine Health Science Scotland Retrieved 19 September 2012 Seenan Gerard 9 December 2002 Fire devastates Edinburgh s Old Town The Guardian London Retrieved 13 September 2021 Fire Damage to School of Informatics 2002 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 Royal launch for cancer centre BBC News 6 December 2002 Retrieved 16 January 2014 Experts join up for cancer fight BBC News 26 November 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2014 Roslin Institute History Roslin Institute Archived from the original on 29 November 2009 Retrieved 13 September 2021 a b Opening of Easter Bush Veterinary Campus 2011 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 August 2021 New home for Roslin Institute Veterinary Record 169 2 London 34 9 July 2011 doi 10 1136 vr d4061 S2CID 219199064 Retrieved 21 August 2021 Merger with Edinburgh College of Art 2011 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 14 August 2021 ECA merger The University of Edinburgh Archived from the original on 2 September 2011 Retrieved 14 October 2011 Morris Bridget 21 October 2017 Edinburgh University teams up with Chinese in joint campus venture The National Glasgow Retrieved 13 September 2021 Historical Timeline Zhejiang University Retrieved 13 November 2021 Balance for Better Teaching Matters The University of Edinburgh 27 June 2019 Retrieved 13 September 2021 Wikimedian in Residence The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 18 August 2021 HOME The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Retrieved 12 September 2021 Official website Data Driven Innovation Retrieved 15 August 2021 Forsdick Sam 13 August 2018 Edinburgh s city deal bets 791m on technology New Statesman London Retrieved 13 September 2021 Kemp Kenny 19 December 2018 First tranche of Edinburgh City Region deal investment unveiled Scottish Business Insider Edinburgh Retrieved 13 September 2021 New Health and Wellbeing Centre opens The University of Edinburgh 21 September 2020 Retrieved 20 August 2021 Edinburgh Futures Institute at Quartermile The University of Edinburgh 29 January 2021 Retrieved 21 August 2021 Ethos Edinburgh Futures Institute Retrieved 21 August 2021 Edinburgh s Links to the USA The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2013 History and Tradition Dalhousie University Retrieved 15 August 2021 George Ramsay 9th Earl of Dalhousie Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online Retrieved 4 December 2010 White Paul Dudley June 1973 Review of Dartmouth Medical School The First 176 Years The New England Quarterly 46 306 308 doi 10 2307 364128 JSTOR 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John Witherspoon The Presidents of Princeton University Princeton University 26 November 2013 Archived from the original on 21 March 2021 Retrieved 20 June 2021 Campus maps PDF The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 10 October 2021 St Cecilia s Hall About The Museum St Cecilia s Hall Concert Room and Music Museum 3 July 2020 Retrieved 30 August 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe The University of Edinburgh 23 July 2019 Retrieved 21 August 2021 Pollock Halls The University of Edinburgh 25 March 2019 Retrieved 15 August 2021 Lourie Emma 10 November 2019 John McIntyre Conference Centre celebrates a decade in business The Edinburgh Reporter Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Holyrood Campus buildings and opening hours The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 January 2018 St Leonard s Land building profile The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 January 2018 Halls given royal seal of approval The University of Edinburgh 12 April 2017 Retrieved 2 January 2018 Outreach Centre building profile The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 January 2018 Institute for Academic Development The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 January 2018 Edinburgh Centre for Professional Legal Studies Edinburgh Law School Retrieved 2 January 2018 Self guided tour to King s Buildings PDF The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 16 August 2021 Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library Open to Students Austin Smith Lord 3 October 2012 Retrieved 2 October 2021 University of Edinburgh Noreen amp Kenneth Murray Library Austin Smith Lord Retrieved 2 October 2021 History of the Institute The University of Edinburgh 18 May 2020 Retrieved 16 November 2021 Campbell K H S McWhir J Ritchie W A Wilmut I 7 March 1996 Sheep cloned by nuclear transfer from a cultured cell line Nature 380 6569 64 66 Bibcode 1996Natur 380 64C doi 10 1038 380064a0 PMID 8598906 S2CID 3529638 Retrieved 13 September 2021 Firn David March 1999 Roslin Institute upset by human cloning suggestions Nature Medicine 5 3 253 doi 10 1038 6449 PMID 10086368 S2CID 41278352 Cloning of Dolly the Sheep 1996 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 2 October 2021 University Court The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 General Council The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 Senatus Academicus The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 15 August 2021 a b The Chancellor The University of Edinburgh 14 May 2019 Retrieved 17 August 2021 a b The role of Principal and Vice Chancellor The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 17 August 2021 Principal and Vice Chancellor The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 17 August 2021 a b The Rector The University of Edinburgh March 2021 Retrieved 17 August 2021 Activist Simon Fanshawe named as University of Edinburgh rector BBC News 12 February 2024 Retrieved 15 February 2024 Reconstitution of Faculties into Colleges 2002 The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 1 September 2021 Colleges and schools The University of Edinburgh 20 May 2019 Retrieved 1 September 2021 College renamed to reflect growth in arts The University of Edinburgh 28 July 2016 Retrieved 21 October 2016 Undergraduate degree finder University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 September 2022 Postgraduate degree finder University of Edinburgh Retrieved 11 September 2022 Teaching and learning The University of Edinburgh 10 September 2021 Retrieved 6 November 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 English Language and Literature Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd Retrieved 2 August 2021 a b c Staff Headcount amp Full Time Equivalent Statistics FTE as at Sep 21 Human Resources The University of Edinburgh September 2021 Retrieved 19 August 2022 Eddy Matthew D 15 November 2016 The Language of Mineralogy John Walker Chemistry and the Edinburgh Medical School 1750 1800 London Routledge doi 10 4324 9781315238807 ISBN 9781138265646 College Overview The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 18 December 2011 Nobel Prizes University of Edinburgh 6 November 2019 Retrieved 4 June 2022 Best universities for medicine The Times league table The Times London 17 September 2021 Retrieved 18 April 2022 University guide 2021 Medicine The Guardian London 11 September 2021 Retrieved 11 September 2021 QS World Rankings by Faculty Life Science Medicine 2021 Retrieved 4 June 2022 About The Royal NHS Lothian s Medical Education Directorate Retrieved 19 June 2022 Western General Hospital The University of Edinburgh 5 December 2019 Retrieved 19 June 2022 About Child Life and Health The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 June 2022 a b About the College The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 18 December 2011 Sub units centres and institutes The University of Edinburgh 30 March 2021 Retrieved 25 June 2021 Staff Population Statistics Official site Community amp Networking Official site Current Research Staff Societies Official site University Research Networks amp Centres Official site Staff Networks Official site Disabled Staff Network Staff BAME Network Edinburgh Race Equality Network Staff Pride Network University amp College Union UCU 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